double Dutch

Definition of double Dutchnext
as in mumbo jumbo
unintelligible or meaningless talk the fast-talking con man spouts some double Dutch, and it is only afterwards that the victim realizes that he's given two twenties for a ten

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of double Dutch As a Black woman who grew up in New York City in the late ’90s and early aughts, double Dutch has always been near and dear to my heart. — Sonaiya Kelley, Los Angeles Times, 20 Sep. 2024 Being Black is a birthright privilege, and a rite of passage, like learning how to parallel park or double Dutch. — Lizz Schumer, Peoplemag, 3 June 2024 The group mixes in some hula-hooping, African hopscotching and line dancing, but double Dutch is the core. — Tara Bahrampour, Washington Post, 26 July 2023 Around noon, just north of the White House, scores of people flocked to Black Lives Matter Plaza to eat, dance and double Dutch. — Samantha Latson, Washington Post, 19 June 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for double Dutch
Noun
  • Their supporters with zero life experience are devouring their pie-in-the-sky mumbo jumbo.
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 5 July 2026
  • Also, nowhere in that long letter of legal mumbo jumbo is there any mention of the 72% of the people who voted in favor of auditing the Legislature.
    — Peter Lucas, Boston Herald, 12 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Same goes for Chock Chapple (6), because life’s too short to be typing that nonsense in a search field.
    — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 30 Sep. 2026
  • What Trump is serving up is precisely the kind of paternalistic nonsense that women have fought against for the past century, now applied to nation states.
    — Rachel Marsden, Hartford Courant, 25 Sep. 2026
Noun
  • The Korean Football Association was furious, responding to this juvenile, but ultimately harmless, prattle by boycotting the Korean press.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 24 June 2026
  • Some of the prattle can feel like treading water, a delaying tactic until the inevitable confrontation scene.
    — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 17 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Companies modelled after Mary Kay that have reprised empowerment babble for their founders’ gain are mentioned but receive scarce judgment.
    — Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 15 July 2026
  • The film almost completely drops any and all scientific babble from the book in favor of character development, action sequences, and emotional gut punches.
    — Matthew Razak, Space.com, 23 Mar. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Double Dutch.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/double%20Dutch. Accessed 6 Oct. 2026.

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