double back
phrasal verb
doubled back; doubling back; doubles back
: to turn around and return on the same path
I'm going to double back to see if I dropped the ring on the way here.
Examples of double back in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Often what has looked like a straight line to me has been a circle or a doubling back.
—
Tim Maurer, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Tracking data for the vessel showed the ship heading southwest before doubling back to its previous position.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Cuomo’s one error in fixing LGA was banking on a very stupid, very expensive, $2.4 billion people mover called the AirTrain that would have required travelers from Manhattan and other points west to double back after taking the LIRR or No. 7.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2025
Higher standard deduction, no personal exemptions: The law preserves — and temporarily boosts — the higher standard deduction, which was nearly doubled back in 2017.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 21 May 2025
The higher standard deduction and cancellation of personal exemptions will remain
The law preserves — and temporarily boosts — the higher standard deduction, which was nearly doubled back in 2017.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 21 May 2025
It’s believed that is one reason why the Giants doubled back with such detailed work on Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Louisville’s Tyler Shough.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
Webber doubled back in 2024, citing more current defamatory comments from Dash from his appearances on Earn Your Leisure.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The family doubled back to the intersection, where a gunman stopped them and ripped open the driver’s seat door.
—Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Tim Maurer, Forbes.com, 15 June 2025
Tracking data for the vessel showed the ship heading southwest before doubling back to its previous position.
—Ellie Cook, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 June 2025
Cuomo’s one error in fixing LGA was banking on a very stupid, very expensive, $2.4 billion people mover called the AirTrain that would have required travelers from Manhattan and other points west to double back after taking the LIRR or No. 7.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 31 Mar. 2025
Higher standard deduction, no personal exemptions: The law preserves — and temporarily boosts — the higher standard deduction, which was nearly doubled back in 2017.
—Aris Folley, The Hill, 21 May 2025
The higher standard deduction and cancellation of personal exemptions will remain
The law preserves — and temporarily boosts — the higher standard deduction, which was nearly doubled back in 2017.
—Tobias Burns, The Hill, 21 May 2025
It’s believed that is one reason why the Giants doubled back with such detailed work on Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Louisville’s Tyler Shough.
—Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 23 Apr. 2025
Webber doubled back in 2024, citing more current defamatory comments from Dash from his appearances on Earn Your Leisure.
—Armon Sadler, VIBE.com, 30 Apr. 2025
The family doubled back to the intersection, where a gunman stopped them and ripped open the driver’s seat door.
—Christina Goldbaum, New York Times, 20 Apr. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Double back.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/double%20back. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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