■ adjective
1》 consisting of two equal, identical, or similar parts or things: ~ doors.
↘having two different roles or interpretations.
↘(of a flower) having more than one circle of petals.
↘(of a domino) having the same number of pips on each half.
2》 having twice the usual size, quantity, or strength: a ~ brandy.
3》 designed to be used by two people.
4》 Music lower in pitch by an octave.
■ predeterminer twice as much or as many.
■ adverb at or to twice the amount or extent.
■ noun
1》 a thing which is twice as large as usual or is made up of two parts.
↘a system of betting in which the winnings from the first bet are transferred to a second.
↘ Darts a hit on the ring enclosed by the two outer circles of a dartboard, scoring ~.
↘ Bridge a call that increases the penalty points for the defenders if the declarer fails to make the contract.
2》 a person who looks exactly like another.
3》 Brit. two sporting victories or championships in the same season, event, etc.
4》 ( ~s ) a game involving sides made up of two players.
5》 Bell-ringing a system of change-ringing using five bells, with two pairs changing places each time.
■ pronoun an amount twice as large as usual.
■ verb
1》 make or become ~.
↘( ~ up ) share a room.
↘( ~ up ) use the winnings from a bet as the stake for another bet.
↘ Bridge call a ~.
2》 fold or bend over on itself.
↘( ~ up ) bend over or curl up, typically with pain or mirth.
3》 ( ~ back ) go back in the direction one has come.
4》 ( ~ (up) as ) be used in or play another, different role.
5》 Music add the same note in a higher or lower octave to (a note).
6》 Snooker pot (a ball) by making it rebound off a cushion.
Phrases
at (or US on ) the ~ very fast.
~ or quits (or US nothing ) a gamble to decide whether a debt should be ~d or cancelled.
Derivatives
~ness noun
~r noun
doubly adverb
Origin
ME: via OFr. from L. duplus (see duple ).