double

noun

Twice the number, amount, size, etc.

A person who resembles and stands in for another person, often for safety purposes

A drink with two portions of alcohol.

A ghostly apparition of a living person; a doppelgänger.

A sharp turn, especially a return on one's own tracks.

A redundant item for which an identical item already exists.

(baseball) A two-base hit.

(bridge) A call that increases certain scoring points if the last preceding bid becomes the contract.

(billiards, snooker) A strike in which the object ball is struck so as to make it rebound against the cushion to an opposite pocket.

A bet on two horses in different races in which any winnings from the first race are placed on the horse in the later race.

(darts) The narrow outermost ring on a dartboard.

(darts) A hit on this ring.

(dominoes) A tile that has the same value (i.e., the same number of pips) on both sides.

(programming) A double-precision floating-point number.

(soccer) Two competitions, usually one league and one cup, won by the same team in a single season.

(rowing) A boat for two scullers.

(sports) The feat of scoring twice in one game.

(sports, chiefly swimming and track) The feat of winning two events in a single meet or competition.

(cricket) The achievement of 1000 runs and 100 wickets taken in a single season.

(music) Playing the same part on two instruments, alternately.

(Christianity) A double feast.

Synonym of double-quick (“fast marching pace”).

(music) A secondary instrument with which a musician is skilled.

A surname.

(US, motor racing) Collectively, both the Indianapolis 500, a day race, and the Coca-Cola 600, an evening race, both of which are run on Memorial Day weekend Sunday. Used concerning racers who (wish[/ed/ing] to) participat[e/ed/ing] in both events, typically using a private jet to travel between Indianapolis, Indiana, after the 500 and Charlotte, North Carolina, to get to the 600.

(slang, dated) A double-cross or betrayal.

(historical) A former French coin worth one-sixth of a sou.

(historical, Guernsey) A copper coin worth one-eighth of a penny.

verb

(transitive) To multiply by two.

(intransitive) To increase by 100%, to become twice as large in size.

To be the double of; to exceed by twofold; to contain or be worth twice as much as.

(transitive) To fold over so as to make two folds.

(transitive, sometimes followed by up) To clench (a fist).

(baseball) To get a two-base hit.

(transitive, often followed by together or up) To join or couple.

(transitive) To repeat exactly; copy.

(intransitive) To serve a second role or have a second purpose. [with as]

(ambitransitive, sometimes with "for") To act as substitute for (another theatrical performer in a certain role, etc).

(theater) To play (both one part and another, in the same play, etc).

(intransitive) To turn sharply, following a winding course.

(nautical) To sail around (a headland or other point).

(music) To duplicate (a part) either in unison or at the octave above or below it.

(music, intransitive, usually followed by "on") To be capable of performing (upon an additional instrument).

(bridge) To make a call that will double certain scoring points if the preceding bid becomes the contract.

(card games, intransitive) To double down.

(billiards, snooker, pool) To cause (a ball) to rebound from a cushion before entering the pocket.

(intransitive) To go or march at twice the normal speed.

(transitive) To multiply the strength or effect of by two.

(military) To unite, as ranks or files, so as to form one from each two.

(radio, informal, of a station) To transmit simultaneously on the same channel as another station, either unintentionally or deliberately, causing interference.

(espionage, intransitive) To operate as a double agent.

adjective

Made up of two matching or complementary elements.

Of twice the quantity.

Of a family relationship, related on both the maternal and paternal sides of a family.

Designed for two (people, cars, etc.).

Folded in two; composed of two layers.

Stooping; bent over.

Having two aspects; ambiguous.

False, deceitful, or hypocritical.

Of flowers, having more than the normal number of petals.

(music) Of an instrument, sounding an octave lower.

(music) Of time, twice as fast.

adverb

Twice over; twofold; doubly.

Two together; two at a time.

Into two halves or sections.

Roots

duplusdoubl- · Latin · double, twofold

Synonyms for double

dupleadj twofoldadj tripleadj dualadj twiceadv geminatedn reduplicatev redoublev duplicatev quadruplicaten triplicaten conduplicatev binateadj duplicature

Synonyms & related words for double

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of double — including duple, twofold, triple, dual, twice, geminated. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to double

Explore words related to double — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include binal, doubly, threefold, undoubled, quadruple, treble, bifarious, quadruply. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for double

Common synonyms for double include duple, twofold, triple, dual, twice, geminated, reduplicate, redouble — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does double come from?

The word double breaks down into one root of Latin origin: the root doubl-, from Latin duplus (“double, twofold”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.