DOUBLE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does double mean? 

• DOUBLE (noun)
  The noun DOUBLE has 5 senses:

1. a base hit on which the batter stops safely at second base

2. a stand-in for movie stars to perform dangerous stunts

3. someone who closely resembles a famous person (especially an actor)

4. a quantity that is twice as great as another

5. raising the stakes in a card game by a factor of 2

  Familiarity information: DOUBLE used as a noun is common.

• DOUBLE (adjective)
  The adjective DOUBLE has 7 senses:

1. having more than one decidedly dissimilar aspects or qualities

2. consisting of or involving two parts or components usually in pairs

3. twice as great or many

4. used of flowers having more than the usual number of petals in crowded or overlapping arrangements

5. used of homologous chromosomes associated in pairs in synapsis

6. large enough for two

7. having two meanings with intent to deceive

  Familiarity information: DOUBLE used as an adjective is common.

• DOUBLE (verb)
  The verb DOUBLE has 6 senses:

1. increase twofold

2. hit a two-base hit

3. bend over or curl up, usually with laughter or pain

4. do double duty; serve two purposes or have two functions

5. bridge: make a demand for (a card or suit)

6. make or do or perform again

  Familiarity information: DOUBLE used as a verb is common.

• DOUBLE (adverb)
  The adverb DOUBLE has 3 senses:

1. downward and forward

2. two together

3. to double the degree

  Familiarity information: DOUBLE used as an adverb is uncommon.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DOUBLE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A base hit on which the batter stops safely at second base

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

double; two-bagger; two-base hit; two-baser

Context example:

he hit a double to deep centerfield

Hypernyms ("double" is a kind of...):

base hit; safety ((baseball) the successful act of striking a baseball in such a way that the batter reaches base safely)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "double"):

line-drive double; line double (a double resulting from a line drive)

Derivation:

double (hit a two-base hit)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A stand-in for movie stars to perform dangerous stunts

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

double; stunt man; stunt woman

Context example:

his first job in Hollywood was as a double for Clark Gable

Hypernyms ("double" is a kind of...):

backup; backup man; fill-in; relief; reliever; stand-in; substitute (someone who takes the place of another (as when things get dangerous or difficult))

Sense 3

Meaning:

Someone who closely resembles a famous person (especially an actor)

Classified under:

Nouns denoting people

Synonyms:

double; image; look-alike

Context example:

she's the very image of her mother

Hypernyms ("double" is a kind of...):

individual; mortal; person; somebody; someone; soul (a human being)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "double"):

clone; dead ringer; ringer (a person who is almost identical to another)

Sense 4

Meaning:

A quantity that is twice as great as another

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Context example:

36 is the double of 18

Hypernyms ("double" is a kind of...):

multiple (the product of a quantity by an integer)

Derivation:

double (increase twofold)

double (make or do or perform again)

double (twice as great or many)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Raising the stakes in a card game by a factor of 2

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Synonyms:

double; doubling

Context example:

I decided his double was a bluff

Hypernyms ("double" is a kind of...):

raise (increasing the size of a bet (as in poker))

Holonyms ("double" is a part of...):

card game; cards (a game played with playing cards)

Derivation:

double (bridge: make a demand for (a card or suit))

double (twice as great or many)

• DOUBLE (adjective)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Having more than one decidedly dissimilar aspects or qualities

Synonyms:

double; dual; three-fold; threefold; treble; two-fold; twofold

Context example:

every episode has its double and treble meaning

Similar:

multiple (having or involving or consisting of more than one part or entity or individual)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Consisting of or involving two parts or components usually in pairs

Synonyms:

double; dual; duple

Context example:

duple (or double) time consists of two (or a multiple of two) beats to a measure

Similar:

multiple (having or involving or consisting of more than one part or entity or individual)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Twice as great or many

Synonyms:

double; doubled; two-fold; twofold

Context example:

a twofold increase

Similar:

multiple (having or involving or consisting of more than one part or entity or individual)

Derivation:

double (raising the stakes in a card game by a factor of 2)

double (a quantity that is twice as great as another)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Used of flowers having more than the usual number of petals in crowded or overlapping arrangements

Context example:

double chrysanthemums have many rows of petals and are usually spherical or hemispherical

Domain category:

botany; phytology (the branch of biology that studies plants)

Antonym:

single (used of flowers having usually only one row or whorl of petals)

Sense 5

Meaning:

Used of homologous chromosomes associated in pairs in synapsis

Synonyms:

bivalent; double

Attribute:

valence; valency ((biology) a relative capacity to unite or react or interact as with antigens or a biological substrate)

Domain category:

genetic science; genetics (the branch of biology that studies heredity and variation in organisms)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Large enough for two

Context example:

a double room

Similar:

big; large (above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent)

Sense 7

Meaning:

Having two meanings with intent to deceive

Synonyms:

double; forked

Context example:

spoke with forked tongue

Similar:

ambiguous; equivocal (open to two or more interpretations; or of uncertain nature or significance; or (often) intended to mislead)

• DOUBLE (verb)

Conjugation:

Sense 1

Meaning:

Increase twofold

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Synonyms:

double; duplicate

Context example:

The population doubled within 50 years

Hypernyms (to "double" is one way to...):

manifold; multiply (combine or increase by multiplication)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "double"):

redouble (double again)

geminate (arrange or combine in pairs)

Sentence frames:

Something ----s
Somebody ----s something
Something ----s something

Sentence examples:

They double their earnings this year
Their earnings double this year

Also:

double up (stake winnings from one bet on a subsequent wager)

Derivation:

double (a quantity that is twice as great as another)

doubling (raising the stakes in a card game by a factor of 2)

doubling (increase by a factor of two)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Hit a two-base hit

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Hypernyms (to "double" is one way to...):

hit (cause to move by striking)

Domain category:

ball; baseball; baseball game (a ball game played with a bat and ball between two teams of nine players; teams take turns at bat trying to score runs)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Derivation:

double (a base hit on which the batter stops safely at second base)

Sense 3

Meaning:

Bend over or curl up, usually with laughter or pain

Classified under:

Verbs of walking, flying, swimming

Synonyms:

double; double over; double up

Context example:

He doubled and vomited violently

Hypernyms (to "double" is one way to...):

bend; flex (form a curve)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s

Sense 4

Meaning:

Do double duty; serve two purposes or have two functions

Classified under:

Verbs of touching, hitting, tying, digging

Context example:

She doubles as his wife and secretary

Hypernyms (to "double" is one way to...):

function; go; operate; run; work (perform as expected when applied)

Sentence frame:

It is ----ing

Sense 5

Meaning:

Bridge: make a demand for (a card or suit)

Classified under:

Verbs of buying, selling, owning

Hypernyms (to "double" is one way to...):

bid; call (make a demand, as for a card or a suit or a show of hands)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

double (raising the stakes in a card game by a factor of 2)

Sense 6

Meaning:

Make or do or perform again

Classified under:

Verbs of sewing, baking, painting, performing

Synonyms:

double; duplicate; reduplicate; repeat; replicate

Context example:

He could never replicate his brilliant performance of the magic trick

Hypernyms (to "double" is one way to...):

reproduce (make a copy or equivalent of)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "double"):

copy; replicate (reproduce or make an exact copy of)

recapitulate (repeat stages of evolutionary development during the embryonic phase of life)

geminate; reduplicate (form by reduplication)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

double (a quantity that is twice as great as another)

• DOUBLE (adverb)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Downward and forward

Context example:

he was bent double with pain

Sense 2

Meaning:

Two together

Context example:

some people sleep better double

Sense 3

Meaning:

To double the degree

Synonyms:

double; doubly; twice

Context example:

his eyes were double bright

 Context examples 

Think you, how her pain would be doubled, did she but hear your wild words.

(Dracula, by Bram Stoker)

The short or rough double coat is generally fawn with a black mask.

(Anatolian Shepherd Dog, NCI Thesaurus)

Still I pulled, holding what I gained each time with a double turn until the next slap gave me more.

(The Sea-Wolf, by Jack London)

Anonymised data and samples are initially single or double coded but the link between the subjects identifiers and the unique code(s) are subsequently deleted.

(Anonymised Genomic Data and Samples, NCI Thesaurus)

An organelle with a double membrane that sequesters proteins and other organelles which may be targeted for degradation.

(Autophagosome, NCI Thesaurus)

I hope it was a double one.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

B-DNA is about 20 Angstrom in diameter and a right-handed double helix with a wide major groove easily accessible to proteins and narrow minor groove.

(B-DNA, NCI Thesaurus)

If you travel with your sister or brother or go to see your sibling, you’ll enjoy a double dip of pleasure.

(AstrologyZone.com, by Susan Miller)

A substance that is based on the structure of anthraquinone and inhibits topoisomerase-II by intercalating into the DNA double strand.

(Anthraquinone Analogue, NCI Thesaurus)

Their irritability arose out of their misery, increased with it, doubled upon it, outdistanced it.

(The Call of the Wild, by Jack London)