/ daʊt; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun
[ U , C ] doubt (about sth) | doubt (that ... ) | doubt (as to sth) a feeling of being uncertain about sth or not believing sth :
a feeling of doubt and uncertainty
There is some doubt about the best way to do it.
There is no doubt at all that we did the right thing.
New evidence has cast doubt on the guilt of the man jailed for the crime.
The article raised doubts about how effective the new drug really was.
If you are in any doubt as to whether you should be doing these exercises, consult your doctor.
She knew without a shadow of a doubt that he was lying to her.
Whether he will continue to be successful in future is open to doubt .
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IDIOMS
- beyond (any) doubt
- be in doubt
- have your doubts (about sth)
- if in doubt
- no doubt
- without / beyond doubt
—more at benefit noun
■ verb
1.
to feel uncertain about sth; to feel that sth is not true, will probably not happen, etc. :
There seems no reason to doubt her story.
'Do you think England will win?'—' I doubt it .'
[ v ( that )]
I never doubted (that) she would come.
[ v wh- ]
I doubt whether / if the new one will be any better.
2.
[ vn ] to not trust sb/sth; to not believe sb :
I had no reason to doubt him.
► doubt·er noun
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English : from Old French doute (noun), douter (verb), from Latin dubitare hesitate, from dubius doubtful.