double
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /ˈdʌb(ə)l/
ipa: /ˈdʌb(ə)l/
ipa: [ˈdʌb.ɫ]
rhymes: -ʌbəl
Forms: form: doubles
form: doubling
form: doubled
form: doubled
Etymology: PIE word
 *dwóh₁
From Middle English double, from Old French doble, double, from Latin duplus (“twofold”). Doublet of doppio and duple.
Senses: examples: text: The company doubled their earnings per share over last quarter.
glosses: To multiply by two.
examples: text: Our earnings have doubled in the last year.
glosses: To increase by 100%, to become twice as large in size.
examples: text: Thus re-inforc’d, againſt the adverſe Fleet / Still doubling ours, brave Rupert leads the way.
ref: 1667, John Dryden, Annus Mirabilis: The Year of Wonders, 1666. […], London: […] Henry Herringman, […], →OCLC, stanza 119, page 31:
glosses: To be the double of; to exceed by twofold; to contain or be worth twice as much as.
examples: text: To make a pleat, double the material at the waist.
glosses: To fold over so as to make two folds.
glosses: To clench (a fist).
raw_tags: followed by up
examples: text: The batter doubled into the corner.
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To get a two-base hit.
glosses: To join or couple.
raw_tags: followed by together or up
glosses: To repeat exactly; copy.
examples: text: A spork is a kind of fork that doubles as a spoon.
info_templates: extra_data: words: as
expansion: [with as]
glosses: To serve a second role or have a second purpose.
examples: text: Laforêt, who (as the French express it), doubles Lainez, that is, performs the same characters in his absence.
ref: 1801, Francis William Blagdon, Paris as it was and as it is, published 1803, II, xli, 60:
text: […] and when she attempted to double the part of her mother, she equally failed in playing the great or agreeable lady.
ref: 1814, Elizabeth Hervey, The Mourtray Family: Third Edition, page 31:
glosses: To act as substitute for (another theatrical performer in a certain role, etc).
raw_tags: with "for"
examples: text: When, therefore, Briggs, the sedate, middle-aged individual, who in the Markham household doubles the roles of butler and valet, makes his appearance, his master affects to be in a great hurry, looks at his watch, and says : […]
ref: 1878, lady Isabella Emma E. Schuster, Hands Not Hearts, page 141:
text: Miss Theby doubles in the part of Rose and the native girl in the Philippines. This is a problem plot in which a young man leaves the girl of his choice because she has had an affair in her earlier years. He goes to the Philippines, […]
ref: 1916, The Moving Picture World, page 335:
text: In On the Beat he doubles the parts of a constable and a gang-leader. Norman was all over the place.
ref: 1997, Roger Lewis, The Life and Death of Peter Sellers, Hal Leonard Corporation, →ISBN:
text: In his case the matter is simplified by the fact that the head of his Deception Staff doubles the roles of author and producer. The Commander therefore tells him what sort of deception he needs, examines the plans produced for him […]
ref: 2013, Hy Rothstein, Barton Whaley, The Art and Science of Military Deception, Artech House, →ISBN, page 164:
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
theater
glosses: To play (both one part and another, in the same play, etc).
glosses: To turn sharply, following a winding course.
examples: text: Sailing along the coast, he doubled the promontory of Carthage.
ref: 1603, Richard Knolles, The Generall Historie of the Turkes, […], London: […] Adam Islip, →OCLC:
text: […] though the Iſland itſelf was not very large […] I found a great Ledge of Rocks lie out about two Leagues into the Sea[…]ſo that I was oblig’d to go a great Way out to Sea to double the Point.
ref: 1719 May 6 (Gregorian calendar), [Daniel Defoe], The Life and Strange Surprizing Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, […], London: […] W[illiam] Taylor […], →OCLC, page 162:
topics: nautical
transport
glosses: To sail around (a headland or other point).
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: To duplicate (a part) either in unison or at the octave above or below it.
topics: entertainment
lifestyle
music
glosses: To be capable of performing (upon an additional instrument).
raw_tags: followed by "on"
topics: bridge
games
glosses: To make a call that will double certain scoring points if the preceding bid becomes the contract.
topics: card-games
games
glosses: To double down.
topics: ball-games
billiards
games
hobbies
lifestyle
pool
snooker
sports
glosses: To cause (a ball) to rebound from a cushion before entering the pocket.
examples: text: "You double down to the harbour, my lad," said the Captain to Strickland, "and sign on. You've got your papers."
Strickland set off at once, and that was the last Captain Nichols saw of him.
ref: 1919, W[illiam] Somerset Maugham, chapter XLVII, in The Moon and Sixpence, [New York, N.Y.]: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers […], →OCLC, page 250:
glosses: To go or march at twice the normal speed.
examples: text: Sorry, this store does not double coupons.
glosses: To multiply the strength or effect of by two.
topics: government
military
politics
war
glosses: To unite, as ranks or files, so as to form one from each two.
examples: text: Could you please repeat your last transmission? Another station was doubling with you.
topics: broadcasting
media
radio
glosses: To transmit simultaneously on the same channel as another station, either unintentionally or deliberately, causing interference.
raw_tags: of a station
examples: text: Was this simply the cover name of an Allied spy-code named the Brass Monkey? […] The possibility that the Brass Monkey himself was "doubling" (with headquarters' approval, of course) is too logical […]
ref: 1973, National Lampoon, page 12:
topics: espionage
government
military
politics
war
glosses: To operate as a double agent.
Synonyms: sense: to multiply by two
word: redouble
sense: to repeat exactly; copy
word: facsimilize
word: duplicate
word: double
Hypernyms: word: multiply
Derived terms: doublable
double down
double-head
double over
doubler
double up
doubling cube
nondoubling
redouble
undouble
Related terms: quadruple
quintuple
sextuple
single
triple