double

dou·ble | \ ˈdə-bəl

How to pronounce double (audio)

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Definition of double

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : having a twofold relation or character : dual

2 : consisting of two usually combined members or parts an egg with a double yolk

3a : being twice as great or as many double the number of expected applicants

b of a coin : worth two of the specified amount a double eagle a double crown

4 : marked by duplicity : deceitful

5 : folded in two

6 : of extra size, strength, or value a double martini

7 : having more than the normal number of floral leaves often at the expense of the sporophylls

8 of rhyme : involving correspondence of two syllables (as in exciting and inviting)

9 : designed for the use of two persons a double room a double bed

double

doubled; doubling\ ˈdə-b(ə-)liŋ

How to pronounce doubling (audio)

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Definition of double (Entry 2 of 4)

transitive verb

1 : to make twice as great or as many: such as

a : to increase by adding an equal amount

b : to amount to twice the number of

c : to make a call in bridge that increases the value of odd tricks or undertricks at (an opponent's bid)

2a : to bend or fold (something, such as a sheet of paper) usually in the middle so that one part lies directly against the other part

b : clench doubled his fist

c : to cause to stoop

3 : to avoid by doubling : elude

4a : to replace in a dramatic role

b : to play (dramatic roles) by doubling

5a(1) : to advance or score (a base runner) by a double

(2) : to bring about the scoring of (a run) by a double

b : to put out (a base runner) in completing a double play

6 : double-team Jackson's absence was supposed to allow defenses to double Gates.— Jim Trotter

intransitive verb

1a : to become twice as much or as many

b : to double a bid (as in bridge)

2a : to turn sharply and suddenly especially : to turn back on one's course the rabbit doubled back on its tracks

b : to follow a circuitous course

3 : to become bent or folded usually in the middle —usually used with upshe doubled up in pain

4a : to serve an additional purpose or perform an additional duty

b : to play a dramatic role as a double

5 : to make a double in baseball

double

Definition of double (Entry 3 of 4)

1 : to twice the extent or amount

2 : two together the children had to sleep double

3 : downward and forward from the usual position he was bent double with pain

double

Definition of double (Entry 4 of 4)

1 : something twice the usual size, strength, speed, quantity, or value: such as

a : a double amount

b : a base hit that enables the batter to reach second base

2 : one that is the counterpart of another : duplicate: such as

a : a living person that closely resembles another living person

c(1) : understudy

(2) : one who resembles an actor and takes his or her place especially in scenes calling for special skills

(3) : an actor who plays more than one role in a production

3a : a sharp turn (as in running) : reversal

b : an evasive shift

4 : something consisting of two paired members: such as

a : fold

b : a combined bet placed on two different contests

c : two consecutive strikes in bowling

5 doubles plural : a game between two pairs of players

6 : an act of doubling in a card game

7 : a room (as in a hotel) for two guests — compare single sense 4

on the double

: very quickly : right away

Other Words from double Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about double

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Examples of double in a Sentence

Adjective One of the eggs had a double yolk. The truck crossed the double yellow line and entered the other lane. My name is “Allison,” with a double “l.” Go through those double doors and walk to the end of the hall. I'll have a double espresso, please. a double dose of medicine a double order of fries Verb We all doubled over laughing. He doubled up in pain. Adverb raced to his side double quick Noun I'll have one more glass of vodka. Make it a double, please. People often tell me that I'm his double. The actress's double did all of the dangerous scenes. Can you tell if it's the actor or his double in that shot? He hit a double in the eighth inning.

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective The Patriots built a double-digit lead while accumulating only 61 yards of offense. — BostonGlobe.com, "This is not the brand of Patriots football that we’re used to, but it’s the new normal in New England. This is what the Patriots are.," 25 Nov. 2019 Collins made 10 tackles, including two behind the line of scrimmage, for his fourth double-digit-tackle game of the season. — Mark Inabinett | Minabinett@al.com, al, "Alabama NFL roundup: Derrick Henry runs by Jaguars again," 25 Nov. 2019 The former top-10 recruit reached double digits in points in three of his next four games but shot just 38.5% from the field and 20% (3 for 15) from 3-point range in the four games between Michigan State and Lamar. — Jon Hale, The Courier-Journal, "How Kentucky basketball star Tyrese Maxey learned that John Calipari is never satisfied," 25 Nov. 2019 Rookie point guard Darius Garland scored five quick points to help fuel a 9-2 surge to create a double-digit lead that the Cavaliers nursed the rest of the game. — Cameron Fields, cleveland, "Cleveland Cavaliers erase six-game losing streak, win 110-104 against Portland Trail Blazers," 24 Nov. 2019 And the Wolverines have been terrific since halftime of the 28-21 loss to Penn State on Oct. 20, winning four in a row by double digits capped by Saturday's 39-14 win at Indiana. — Paul Myerberg, USA TODAY, "Winners and losers from Week 13 in college football led by Ohio State, Texas, Baylor," 24 Nov. 2019 The next game saw a then-career-high 19 points in a rout of the Jazz and three more games of double-digit scoring in succession. — J. Michael, Indianapolis Star, "Insider: With Aaron Holiday taking off, Pacers will get asked if he's available again," 24 Nov. 2019 All the fish fought with slugging runs, but violent head shakes quickly signaled double-digit cats. — Bill May, baltimoresun.com/maryland/carroll, "Bill May: Searching for Potomac blue catfish," 24 Nov. 2019 Faced with attrition and a double-digit deficit, Cumberland scored 23 points, 39 percent of Cincinnati's total. — Fletcher Page, Cincinnati.com, "Cincinnati basketball: Jarron Cumberland says John Brannen 'knows what to do'," 23 Nov. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Verb In East Africa for instance, men are having to travel farther and farther to find valuable resources that were once plentiful, leaving women behind to work double and triple shifts, and sacrifice their education and health in the process. — Wired, "London Could Ban Uber, a Gendered Climate Crisis, and More News," 25 Nov. 2019 Early use of cannabis, particularly among 14- to 16-year-olds, will double or triple the chance of a psychotic disorder, Janis said. — BostonGlobe.com, "Janis should know: Not only is she a psychiatrist, but she is also the medical director for the Minnesota-based medicinal cannabis firm, LeafLine Labs.," 25 Nov. 2019 Their past two games at Memorial Stadium went to double and single overtime, respectively. — Orion Sang, Detroit Free Press, "Michigan football in a groove heading into Ohio State game: 'Every team can be beat'," 23 Nov. 2019 School property tax bills currently vary widely across the state, not only because of home values but because homeowners in some school districts have agreed through levy votes to pay tax rates double or more of those in other districts. — Jeremy Pelzer, cleveland, "State should be given more power to redistribute school funding, Ohio House speaker says," 20 Nov. 2019 In Huntsville, Lakewood Elementary and Jemison High School saw big improvements in math scores, nearly doubling from 13% to more than 25% at each school, and reading scores jumped from 15% at both schools to 24% at Lakewood and 26% at Jemison. — al, "Here’s a look at Alabama’s ‘failing’ public schools," 5 Nov. 2019 Leadoff hitter George Springer doubled and went to third on a wild pitch. — Eliott C. Mclaughlin, CNN, "World Series: Washington Nationals force Game 7 with another road win," 29 Oct. 2019 Two days after Leonard scored 30 points on 12-of-19 shooting in the Clippers’ season-opening win over the Los Angeles Lakers, the Warriors doubled Leonard and dared him to become a playmaker. — Mark Medina, USA TODAY, "Clippers' 2019 playoff loss to Warriors 'helped' Kawhi Leonard make decision," 25 Oct. 2019 Jackson Kiefer doubled that lead 11 minutes later, and Collegiate took a 2-0 lead to halftime. — Steve Bittenbender, The Courier-Journal, "Wynder's goal saves Collegiate in win over St. Xavier for Seventh Region soccer title," 20 Oct. 2019 Recent Examples on the Web: Adverb WhatsApp and Facebook double as Tinder and Grindr as young people go about hunting for the possibility of romance. — Payal Arora, Quartz, "The biggest myths about the next billion internet users," 5 Nov. 2019 That share could more than double within the first decade after the AfCFTA, the bank estimates. — Washington Post, "As World Wavers on Free Trade, Africa Embraces It," 16 Oct. 2019 One of Salazar’s protégés, Sifan Hassan, pulled a first-of-its-kind double, winning gold medals in the 1,500 and 10,000 meters. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Next up, Tokyo: Track leaves Qatar still looking for a star," 7 Oct. 2019 So Mejia raced to second base, narrowly beating Taylor’s throw for a leadoff double in the ninth inning for the San Diego Padres. — Los Angeles Times, "Kenley Jansen blows another save, but Dodgers still come on top in extras," 28 Aug. 2019 Meanwhile, Orioles starter Asher Wojciechowski took a no-hitter into the seventh inning, before Rafael Devers broke it up with a leadoff double off the right-center field wall. — Julian Mcwilliams, BostonGlobe.com, "Red Sox wilt in dropping series to Orioles," 21 July 2019 Kreidler hustled for a leadoff double in the third and UCLA took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Toglia, who got drafted in the first round of the MLBdraft by the Colorado Rockies. — Steve Galluzzo, latimes.com, "UCLA defeats Loyola Marymount and advances to super regional," 3 June 2019 In the third, Urena nearly pitched around a leadoff double by Rosario, but catcher Bryan Holaday overran a pop foul near the Marlins dugout. — Craig Davis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Urena's stuttering start, fielding lapses too much for Marlins to overcome in loss to Mets," 10 Apr. 2018 Campbell added his second RBI single of the night in the third to cash in a leadoff double by Adames. — NOLA.com, "Baby Cakes get first 2018 win behind 6 shutout innings from newcomer Zac Gallen," 7 Apr. 2018 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun The savings are double-double: Recycling waste into valuable things saves a ton of energy and money, and making these materials domestically instead of importing them also saves a ton of energy and money. — Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, "Scientist Turns Beer Byproducts Into Carbon Nanotubes," 26 Nov. 2019 Cockburn, who grew up in Jamaica and attended Oak Hill Academy in Virginia, is tied with three other players for the national lead with five double-doubles. — Shannon Ryan, chicagotribune.com, "Illinois freshman Kofi Cockburn sweeps the Big Ten’s weekly basketball awards — the 1st player to do so in 3 seasons," 25 Nov. 2019 Bey, who has 22 career double-doubles and 12 in his last 19 games, accomplished the feat for the third time in four games this season. — W.g. Ramirez, The Denver Post, "Tyler Bey has double-double, No. 23 CU Buffs beat Wyoming," 24 Nov. 2019 Taiye Bello notched the 18th double-double of her career with 11 points and a season-high 14 rebounds. — Pioneer Press, Twin Cities, "Destiny Pitts scores 26, rallies Gophers women past Montana State," 23 Nov. 2019 Kristaps Porzingis had a career-best streak of four double-doubles before scoring 17 points with seven rebounds in just 27 minutes on Friday. — Jonathan Feigen, Houston Chronicle, "Scouting report: Rockets vs. Mavericks," 23 Nov. 2019 The dynamic 6-foot-9 senior had a rim-rattling jam early in the second half and finished with the second double-double of the season and 12th of his college career. — Baltimore Sun Staff, baltimoresun.com, "No. 18 Xavier men’s basketball pulls away from Towson, 73-51, in Charleston Classic," 21 Nov. 2019 Andrew Wiggins found his way to 30 points more or less unmolested to lead Minnesota, while Karl-Anthony Towns posted a 28-point, 11-rebound double-double. — Jeff Mcdonald, ExpressNews.com, "Spurs players take ownership for defensive woes," 14 Nov. 2019 Posted 11 double-doubles to lead everyone in the league. — Jr Radcliffe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Who will take up the mantle as the best Wisconsinite in women's college basketball? Here are 7 options," 13 Nov. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'double.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near double

Statistics for double

Last Updated

28 Nov 2019

Cite this Entry

“Double.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doubles. Accessed 5 December 2019.

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More Definitions for double

double

adjective

English Language Learners Definition of double

(Entry 1 of 4)

: made of two parts that are similar or exactly the same

: having two very different parts or qualities

: of a size that is twice as big as usual : of an amount that is twice as much as usual

double

verb

English Language Learners Definition of double (Entry 2 of 4)

: to cause (something) to become two times as great or as many

: to become two times as great or as many

: to have a second job or use

double

adverb

English Language Learners Definition of double (Entry 3 of 4)

: two times as many or as much

: two times

double

noun

English Language Learners Definition of double (Entry 4 of 4)

: something that is two times the usual size, strength, or amount

: someone who looks very much like another person

: a person who looks like an actor and takes the actor's place in some scenes in a movie or TV show

See the full definition for double in the English Language Learners Dictionary

double

dou·ble | \ ˈdə-bəl

\

Kids Definition of double

(Entry 1 of 4)

1 : being twice as great or as many I made a double batch of cookies.

2 : made up of two parts or members This egg has a double yolk.

3 : having two very different aspects She serves a double role as teacher and friend.

4 : made for two a double bed

5 : extra large in size or amount double roses

double

doubled; doubling

Kids Definition of double (Entry 2 of 4)

1 : to make or become twice as great or as many : multiply by two You'll need to double the recipe.

2 : to fold usually in the middle Double your paper.

3 : to bend over at the waist He doubled over in laughter.

4 : clench sense 2 I doubled my fist.

5 : to turn sharply and go back over the same path The squirrel doubled back instead of crossing the street.

6 : to have another use or job The table doubled as his desk.

double

Kids Definition of double (Entry 3 of 4)

1 : two times the amount The last test question counts double.

2 : two together You'll have to sleep double.

double

Kids Definition of double (Entry 4 of 4)

1 : something that is twice the usual size or amount The waiter charged me double.

2 : a hit in baseball that allows the batter to reach second base

3 : someone or something that is very like another You're a double for your sister.

on the double

: very quickly

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WORD OF THE DAY

acquiesce

to accept, comply, or submit

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