1
: having a twofold relation or character : dual
2
: consisting of two usually combined members or parts
an egg with a double yolk
3
a
: 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
doubleness
noun
doubled; doubling
ˈdə-b(ə-)liŋ 
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)
2
a
: 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
4
a
: to replace in a dramatic role
b
: to play (dramatic roles) by doubling
5
a(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
Jim Trotter1
a
: to become twice as much or as many
b
: to double a bid (as in bridge)
2
a
: 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 up
she doubled up in pain
4
a
: 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
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
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
b
: wraith
c(1)
(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
3
a
: 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
Synonyms
Adjective
Verb
Adverb
Noun
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 WebHoward Cohen, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
One of those double favorite things is the Tory Burch Classic Rain Loafers, which just went on rare sale and are the perfect spring shoes for travelers.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
Indeed, Soriot earned more than double Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen’s 68.2 million kroner ($9.9 million) pay package last year.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 10 Apr. 2024
The cicadas are coming: What to expect from the double brood emergence of trillions of breeding, singing bugs
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has the ability to designate provisions for early implementation of these plans, per a senior administration official.
—Arthur Jones Ii, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2024
But a report in 2022 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that China's industrial subsidies in 2019 were double, in dollar terms, the size of U.S. supports.
—Christopher Rugaber, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
As Burns draws more defensive attention, perhaps his best weapon has become his ability to pass out of a double team, his coach says.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024
Demerara Rum The Diamond distillery in Guyana is a wild and unique place, with a collection of stills that includes the last operational double wooden pot still anywhere in the world.
—Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
The Cubs went ahead in the top of the sixth when Cody Bellinger’s double scored Seiya Suzuki.
—David Ammenheuser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2024
Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
Cox said Manheim expects that number to double in 2024 and continue increasing in the coming years.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
The puffy silhouette and shiny polyester give a trendy take on the square backpack design, and the double top handles allow this backpack to double as a tote bag.
—L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Success requires us to double our current emission reduction rates.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
That should double into the night as rainfall totals approach an inch in the most consistent areas of rainfall by Friday morning.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Partially deflated, this also doubles as lumbar support in case your back starts to get tired from driving.
—Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
But the gains for the tournament this year, which more than doubled last year’s average, aren’t all because of that: Games not involving Iowa averaged about 74 percent more viewers than a year ago, according to ESPN.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
Seating is at the bar and in an adjacent room called The Commons, which doubles as a community gathering/co-working space and an event space for readings and other activities.
—The Arizona Republic, 30 Mar. 2024
Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
At the eclipse’s peak, Boise will see 68% of the sun eclipsed, almost double compared to the 35% obscured on Monday.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2024
Souza delivered a two-out, two-run double in the second inning, drew three walks and bumped his batting average to .362.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 10 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, Mater Dei scored two runs in the fourth on a two-run double from Lawson Olmstead and added three runs in the fifth, with Brody Connors supplying an RBI double.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Nolan Gorman then hit a two-run double against Andrew Nardi to give St. Louis (4-4) a 6-5 lead before the Cardinals scored their final two runs of the frame on an Alec Burleson RBI single and Masyn Winn RBI triple.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Garcia followed with a two-run double as the Royals took a 3-0 lead.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
Wembanyama finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds – his 25th double double as a rookie.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024
This time, against a Maryland team experiencing a rare down year, the star brought a crowd nearly double in size and did what she’s done with ease for the past four years: put on a display well worth the cost to see it.
—Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2024
Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Juan Soto then hit an RBI double against Anthony Bender in the eighth to cut Miami’s lead to two runs.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
Then Ben McLaughlin hit an RBI double and Wehiwa Aloy provided a sacrifice fly to cap the four-run inning and set the final score.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 11 Apr. 2024
The remaining guest cabins can be configured as doubles or twins.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. collected two doubles on Saturday.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2024
Blackmon is second in franchise history in hits, doubles and total bases, ranking behind only Hall of Famer Todd Helton in each category.
—Jack Magruder, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2024
Senior slugger Kyle Rogers went 4-for-5 with two booming doubles and four RBIs as the Grizzlies (4-5) snapped a three-game losing streak.
—Jim Lindgren, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2024
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a ground-rule double in the sixth inning.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
Adjective
The youngest solo female ever to write or co-write every song on a No. 1, double platinum, debut country album.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 10 Apr. 2024
One of those double favorite things is the Tory Burch Classic Rain Loafers, which just went on rare sale and are the perfect spring shoes for travelers.
—Olivia Young, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
Indeed, Soriot earned more than double Novo Nordisk CEO Lars Fruergaard Jørgensen’s 68.2 million kroner ($9.9 million) pay package last year.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 10 Apr. 2024
The cicadas are coming: What to expect from the double brood emergence of trillions of breeding, singing bugs
Education Secretary Miguel Cardona has the ability to designate provisions for early implementation of these plans, per a senior administration official.
—Arthur Jones Ii, ABC News, 8 Apr. 2024
But a report in 2022 by the Center for Strategic and International Studies found that China's industrial subsidies in 2019 were double, in dollar terms, the size of U.S. supports.
—Christopher Rugaber, Quartz, 8 Apr. 2024
As Burns draws more defensive attention, perhaps his best weapon has become his ability to pass out of a double team, his coach says.
—Becky Sullivan, NPR, 29 Mar. 2024
Demerara Rum The Diamond distillery in Guyana is a wild and unique place, with a collection of stills that includes the last operational double wooden pot still anywhere in the world.
—Tony Sachs, Robb Report, 29 Mar. 2024
The Cubs went ahead in the top of the sixth when Cody Bellinger’s double scored Seiya Suzuki.
—David Ammenheuser, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Mar. 2024
Verb
For this more concentrated mix, it’s recommended to double or even triple the strength, so don’t be shy when steeping this bug-fighting brew.
—Kristin Guy, Sunset Magazine, 11 Apr. 2024
Cox said Manheim expects that number to double in 2024 and continue increasing in the coming years.
—Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, 11 Apr. 2024
The puffy silhouette and shiny polyester give a trendy take on the square backpack design, and the double top handles allow this backpack to double as a tote bag.
—L.a. Hubilla, Peoplemag, 10 Apr. 2024
Success requires us to double our current emission reduction rates.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 10 Apr. 2024
That should double into the night as rainfall totals approach an inch in the most consistent areas of rainfall by Friday morning.
—Ian Livingston, Washington Post, 10 Apr. 2024
Partially deflated, this also doubles as lumbar support in case your back starts to get tired from driving.
—Maggie Slepian, Travel + Leisure, 10 Apr. 2024
But the gains for the tournament this year, which more than doubled last year’s average, aren’t all because of that: Games not involving Iowa averaged about 74 percent more viewers than a year ago, according to ESPN.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 8 Apr. 2024
Seating is at the bar and in an adjacent room called The Commons, which doubles as a community gathering/co-working space and an event space for readings and other activities.
—The Arizona Republic, 30 Mar. 2024
Adverb
Aaron Solomon followed with a two-run double to widen the margin to 5-1.
—Darren Sabedra, The Mercury News, 11 Apr. 2024
At the eclipse’s peak, Boise will see 68% of the sun eclipsed, almost double compared to the 35% obscured on Monday.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Apr. 2024
Souza delivered a two-out, two-run double in the second inning, drew three walks and bumped his batting average to .362.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 10 Apr. 2024
Meanwhile, Mater Dei scored two runs in the fourth on a two-run double from Lawson Olmstead and added three runs in the fifth, with Brody Connors supplying an RBI double.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 6 Apr. 2024
Nolan Gorman then hit a two-run double against Andrew Nardi to give St. Louis (4-4) a 6-5 lead before the Cardinals scored their final two runs of the frame on an Alec Burleson RBI single and Masyn Winn RBI triple.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2024
Garcia followed with a two-run double as the Royals took a 3-0 lead.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 3 Apr. 2024
Wembanyama finished with 18 points and 13 rebounds – his 25th double double as a rookie.
—Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 8 Feb. 2024
This time, against a Maryland team experiencing a rare down year, the star brought a crowd nearly double in size and did what she’s done with ease for the past four years: put on a display well worth the cost to see it.
—Taylor Lyons, Baltimore Sun, 4 Feb. 2024
Noun
April 12, 2024 Hours later, Ohtani did not give an inch to the San Diego Padres, clobbering a first-inning home run and adding two scorching doubles in an eventual 8-7, 11-inning defeat.
—Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
Juan Soto then hit an RBI double against Anthony Bender in the eighth to cut Miami’s lead to two runs.
—Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 Apr. 2024
Then Ben McLaughlin hit an RBI double and Wehiwa Aloy provided a sacrifice fly to cap the four-run inning and set the final score.
—Tom Murphy, arkansasonline.com, 11 Apr. 2024
The remaining guest cabins can be configured as doubles or twins.
—Julia Zaltzman, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
Royals star Bobby Witt Jr. collected two doubles on Saturday.
—Jaylon Thompson, Kansas City Star, 31 Mar. 2024
Blackmon is second in franchise history in hits, doubles and total bases, ranking behind only Hall of Famer Todd Helton in each category.
—Jack Magruder, Forbes, 26 Mar. 2024
Senior slugger Kyle Rogers went 4-for-5 with two booming doubles and four RBIs as the Grizzlies (4-5) snapped a three-game losing streak.
—Jim Lindgren, San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Mar. 2024
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani celebrates after hitting a ground-rule double in the sixth inning.
—Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'double.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Articles Related to double
Dictionary Entries Near double
Cite this Entry
“Double.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/double. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
double
1 of 4 adjective
dou·ble
ˈdəb-əl
1
: dual sense 1
a double role
2
: consisting of two members or parts
an egg with a double yolk
3
: being twice as great or as many
had double the number of expected sales
4
: folded in two
5
: having more than the usual number of floral parts and especially petals
double roses
doubleness
noun
double
2 of 4 verb
doubled; doubling
ˈdəb-(ə-)liŋ
1
: to make, be, or become twice as great or as many
double a recipe
2
a
: to bend or fold (as a sheet of paper) usually in the middle so that one part lies directly against the other part
b
: to close tightly the fingers of : clench
doubled his fist
c
: to cause to bend at the waist
d
: to become bent or folded usually in the middle
she doubled up in pain
3
: to have an additional use or job
the cook doubles as dishwasher
4
: to make a double in baseball
5
: to turn sharply and go back on the same path first taken
the rabbit doubled back on its tracks
double
3 of 4 adverb1
2
: two together
sleep double
double
4 of 4 noun1
a
: something twice another
12 is the double of 6
b
: a hit in baseball that allows a batter to reach second base
2
: duplicate entry 3
especially
: a person who closely resembles another
3
: a sharp turn : reversal
5
plural
: a game between two pairs of players
tennis doubles
Etymology
Adjective
Middle English double "double, dual," from early French double (same meaning), from Latin duplus "double," from duo "two" and -plus "multiplied by" — related to dual
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