I. noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be filled with horror/fear/anger/doubt/remorse
▪
Their faces were suddenly filled with fear.
cast aside your inhibitions/doubts etc
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Cast aside your fears.
confirm your fears/doubts/suspicions etc
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This just confirms my worst fears.
doubt the existence of sth (= not believe that something exists )
▪
Some people doubt the existence of life at the very bottom of the ocean.
doubting Thomas
express doubts/reservations (= say or show that you are not sure whether something is true or right )
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Environmentalists began to express doubts about the benefits of biofuels.
grave doubts
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I have grave doubts about his ability.
lingering doubts/suspicions etc
▪
Any lingering hopes of winning the title soon disappeared.
nagging feeling/doubt/suspicion etc
▪
There was still a nagging doubt in the back of her mind.
not a shred of doubt (= no doubt at all )
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There’s not a shred of doubt in my mind that we will win.
question/doubt the wisdom of (doing) sth
▪
Local people are questioning the wisdom of spending so much money on a new road.
raises doubts
▪
The way the research was carried out raises doubts about the results.
room for doubt/debate/argument etc
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The evidence was clear, and there was little room for doubt.
sow doubt/confusion/dissatisfaction etc
▪
an attempt to sow doubt among the jury members
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
grave
▪
But there is grave doubt among environmentalists as to whether the Government will fulfil its promises according to schedule.
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I had grave doubts about where he might take it.
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There must, too, be the gravest doubts about a system which excludes those who prefer not to join a union.
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In my talk with Alec he himself expressed grave doubts whether he wished to take it on.
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The gravest doubt which has assailed historians about Charlemagne's moral and educational programme is whether it had much effect.
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I have grave doubts about that.
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Simply as a proposition this is open to grave doubt .
little
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When there are more than one stand-off per side, there is little doubt as to which way round the spars are fitted.
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There is little doubt that these people are at the heart of the restaurant's achievements.
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These days, there is little doubt that creatures possess a mind structure.
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There would seem to have been little doubt , however, in Mr Justice Lindley's mind.
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There was little doubt among those concerned that through education youth could be made to exhibit the appropriate values.
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But there can be little doubt that such change is not going to happen overnight.
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There is little doubt that these are proper, necessary and central focuses for educational policy and practice.
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There can be little doubt that Hoccleve is describing his own experience.
reasonable
▪
If theft is not proved beyond reasonable doubt , they should consider handling.
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They had to feel, beyond a reasonable doubt , that Bill had killed Sandy.
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But they are not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt so they decide, quite properly, to acquit of robbery.
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It means only that prosecutors failed to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt , he said.
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Civilised society generally only convicts where a man is guilty beyond reasonable doubt .
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Once the issue is validly raised, the prosecution has the burden of disproving it beyond reasonable doubt .
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For example, one can prove beyond a reasonable degree of doubt that a conservation project reduces the rate of soil removal.
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In many cases, it will be hard for the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he is lying.
serious
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The awful thing was that, as I said it, I began to have serious doubts about it.
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In cases of serious doubt , there are a variety of techniques for assessing employees' reactions.
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To close one magazine is unlucky; but to close two casts serious doubts on your capabilities as a publisher.
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Even among some Taft supporters, however, there were serious doubts that the controversial senator could win the presidency.
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Robert would have to hit him with something a bit more serious than doubts .
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For these reasons, the Conservatives are a little more responsive to widespread expressions of serious doubt on their own backbenches.
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At this point I began to have serious doubts about this man's hold on reality.
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But the true history of Opren raises serious doubts about this picture of events.
■ VERB
cast
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Again there is a considerable literature on the use of aims and objectives in curriculum planning that casts doubts on its efficacy.
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I just had to cast doubt on his assertions.
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It casts more doubt on Wallace's conviction in 1981 of the killing of his friend, antique dealer Jonathan Lewis.
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What they have found tends only to cast more doubt on an already shaky government probe.
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Tim White casts doubts on Kalb's ability to discharge his undertakings to care for the material he had collected.
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Mr Portillo cast doubt over the tax policy as soon as he returned to the shadow cabinet this year.
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Journalists and diplomatic sources, however, cast doubt on the government's version.
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These conclusions have led revisionists to cast doubt on three of the assumptions underlying the liberal interpretation.
express
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Occasionally a customer will express doubts about the selling of such specimens when they should, perhaps be displayed in museums.
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The comedian expressed doubts about his ability to perform without a live audience, but agreed to do it.
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People like Ybreska were too afraid to have a commitment, even to openly express doubts .
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But we expressed our doubts regarding La Strada.
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Indeed, it was a question about which, at p. 311B, Roskill L.J. expressed doubts .
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Critics have expressed doubts about the draughtsmanship of both artists.
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However, some analysts have expressed doubts about management continuity.
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Rumours that no scientist expressed doubts about the potential problems are falsehoods perpetrated by officials with a vested interest.
leave
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The head is broadly thick-set with a mouth which leaves no doubts as to the diet.
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The statistics leave no doubt that the triumph of capital has lead to more and more unequal distribution of income and wealth.
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Given my own predicament, I was left in no doubt that Cooper and Murphy had also been fitted up.
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If you do not do so, you may be left in some doubt as to when a constructive dismissal occurs.
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They left me in no doubt that spiritually they had evolved much beyond their young ages.
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Nevertheless, the world of classical scholarship was left in no doubt about one thing.
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Years of experience have left him with nagging doubts about the seemingly perfect customers.
prove
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If this could be proved beyond doubt , direct drilling would fit in well with the organic philosophy.
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The believer is not required to establish his belief, but the skeptic is required to prove his doubt .
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If theft is not proved beyond reasonable doubt , they should consider handling.
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Geological evidence proves beyond doubt that it is three million years old.
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In court their guilt had been proved beyond doubt , so why hadn't they confessed?
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His accomplishments prove , beyond a doubt , the efficacy of full self-expression.
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This means a case does not have to be proved beyond all reasonable doubt .
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In many cases, it will be hard for the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he is lying.
raise
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A few astronomers have raised doubts about this extrapolation from ordinary galaxies to all extragalactic objects.
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But the $ 100 million miss raises new doubts about when that will be.
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Only a few Marxists raise fundamental doubt about Therborn's assumption above that in liberal democracy the exploiting minority rules through elections.
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I raised some of these doubts with Einar one night during semaphore practice.
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Research has also raised doubts about the role of imitation in children's learning of language.
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Our job, after all, is merely to raise a doubt .
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So instead of providing reassurance, it raises doubts in customers' minds.
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This raises doubts about some of the signposts the Fed used to rely on.
seem
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There seems to be little doubt , however, that the development of the form imbricata is determined genetically.
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There seems no doubt ever in your minds that the Emperor is more powerful than you are, or Hari Seldon wiser.
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There seems little doubt about who is being foolishly insulting.
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There seems little doubt that the richest clubs went on evading the maximum wage regulation.
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There seems little doubt that such feeling existed, especially in the 1340s and 1350s.
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Nobody seemed to have any doubt that Pencader would trounce his rivals on his debut at Newbury last month.
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Worse still are cases in which only the jurist seems to be in doubt as to what kind of disposition is involved.
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There seems little doubt that, by the next century, it will be the international language in every field.
throw
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In the sickroom or with Diniz, Nicholas never threw doubt on the arrival of Katelina's dream fleet.
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Recent judicial decisions have thrown doubt upon this point, as indicated in the following hypothetical discussion.
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Wallis further throws doubt on Gusfield's claim that he had in fact identified a status group.
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The absence of Hebrew graffiti at Abu Simbel is perhaps not sufficient to throw doubt upon Aristeas.
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The devolution programme of Wahid's administration may also be thrown into doubt .
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The market people passed comments on his wife and, he said, threw doubt on his ability to better her.
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The crisis will throw further doubt on the Government's drive to cut waiting lists.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be open to question/doubt
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The authenticity of the relics is open to doubt.
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Their motives are open to question.
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But whether Republicans want to cooperate is open to question.
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Even if, as is open to question, screen violence really does invite emulation, that is the wrong approach.
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In particular, the significance of the small number who say their work has been deskilled is open to question.
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It also is open to question how well equipped courts are to make this kind of determination-about the workings of economic markets.
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The entire business of basing regulations on animal tests is open to question.
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The President acceded to the Chancellor's request for two reasons, both of which were open to question.
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Whether the yeast could ever be as abundant as this is open to question.
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Whether this kind of Labour Party is capable of winning a general election is open to doubt.
beyond (a) reasonable doubt
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Civilised society generally only convicts where a man is guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
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Finally, although it is not proved beyond reasonable doubt, most experts agree that dry foods are beneficial to the teeth.
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If theft is not proved beyond reasonable doubt, they should consider handling.
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If we knew that, I think we'd be beyond reasonable doubt.
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In many cases, it will be hard for the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he is lying.
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It means only that prosecutors failed to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, he said.
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Once the issue is validly raised, the prosecution has the burden of disproving it beyond reasonable doubt.
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They had to feel, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Bill had killed Sandy.
cast doubt(s) on sth
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A foot abscess had cast doubts on the colt's participation in the Epsom Classic on Wednesday week.
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Both studies cast doubt on individuals' awareness of tax changes and therefore suggest a low labour response.
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But this very silence casts doubt on Mancini's central point that the council actually voted down the king's expressed wishes.
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Journalists and diplomatic sources, however, cast doubt on the government's version.
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Some are oversensitive, which leads to annoyance and casts doubt on readings which might not be inaccurate.
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That, the authors conclude, casts doubt on the refuge hypothesis.
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This casts doubt on the suggestion that Asclepiodatus was also responsible for the shorter prologue of Lex Salica.
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To cast doubt on the importance of production is thus to bring into questIon the foundation of the entire edifice.
element of surprise/truth/risk/doubt etc
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I like the element of risk.
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If Weaver had been watching as Liz Spalding had been smuggled into the house, then the element of surprise was lost.
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It contains a major element of truth, even if it is not precisely the truth which its originators intended.
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The element of risk gave it an added excitement.
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There is an element of truth in all of these.
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There were elements of truth in this critique, Jim supposed.
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Web browsers, once limited to displaying text and graphics and downloading files, have created an entirely new element of risk.
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What I do is count on the element of surprise.
give sb the benefit of the doubt
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She claimed she wasn't trying to commit suicide, and doctors gave her the benefit of the doubt.
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Something didn't seem quite right, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
niggling doubt/worry/suspicion etc
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Almost immediately, the fretting, niggling worries and the sense of fearful anticipation began to return.
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Always, in the background, in the dim recesses of her mind, there had been that niggling doubt.
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And here a niggling doubt enters the mind.
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Nor did it remove the niggling suspicion that Isabel was hiding something.
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Of course, this is usually so, but I am having little niggling doubts about such a sweeping statement.
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There remains the niggling doubt that this delay has something to do with our muddled sentimentality towards animals.
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There was, however, a niggling doubt in the minds of some of the jurors.
not the slightest chance/doubt/difference etc
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But whether the parent with the yellow flowers supplies the egg or the pollen makes not the slightest difference.
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I tried closing my eyes; it made not the slightest difference.
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There was now not the slightest doubt that Hsu was decaying and losing her structural integrity.
plant an idea/doubt/suspicion (in sb's mind)
▪
Their conversation had planted doubts in Dennis' mind about the partnership.
throw doubt on sth
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In the sickroom or with Diniz, Nicholas never threw doubt on the arrival of Katelina's dream fleet.
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The market people passed comments on his wife and, he said, threw doubt on his ability to better her.
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Wallis further throws doubt on Gusfield's claim that he had in fact identified a status group.
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What they have to say throws doubt on previous inferences about how labour-intensive Maya agricultural techniques were, at least at San Antonio.
without/beyond a shadow of a doubt
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Don't ask me how - but I knew it without a shadow of a doubt.
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Now she knew without a shadow of doubt that she wasn't.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
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I hope to convince any doubters in the audience that our policies will work.
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There are still some doubts about her suitability for the job.
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There seems to be some doubt as to what warnings were given.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
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Especially in the early thirties, the ideas in the central tradition acted powerfully to breed such doubts.
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He worked to dispel his doubts about his friend as though to pass another test, like his ordeal in the park.
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However, some critics have expressed doubts over whether future governments can be locked into the promises.
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If in doubt , try the front door.
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It casts more doubt on Wallace's conviction in 1981 of the killing of his friend, antique dealer Jonathan Lewis.
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Little doubt what the weight of opinion was there.
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Then he thought of Benedicta and felt a twinge of doubt .
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There seems no doubt ever in your minds that the Emperor is more powerful than you are, or Hari Seldon wiser.
II. verb
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADVERB
never
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Her family had never doubted she was heading for the top job.
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He never doubted that he knew all.
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I think you need never doubt that he loves you.
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Some of the tales were the apocrypha of his enemies, others Mitchell never doubted to be true.
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I never doubted that I was on a road that led somewhere.
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We never doubted that the way we did things would catch on.
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The Khatami camp never doubted that their man would win a second presidential term.
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Walt Disney never doubted for a moment that he could make Snow white.
seriously
▪
Nobody seriously doubts that butter is lovely stuff.
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Montagu testified that they never seriously doubted Lloyd George's ability to form a Government.
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I doubt if anyone would seriously doubt that, now, as a matter of fact, this is the case.
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Questions about why these examples and not others constantly loom, because we can seriously doubt how representative the selected texts are.
■ NOUN
ability
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None doubted his ability , but Hardaker frowned upon his frankness.
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Some doubted its ability to withstand rough weather.
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She doubted her own ability to survive that long.
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Montagu testified that they never seriously doubted Lloyd George's ability to form a Government.
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She would have liked to be nearer to the panel, but she doubted her ability to kneel or squat in the spacesuit.
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I doubt my ability for it.
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But still she doubted her ability to hold out against him.
existence
▪
But do we doubt the existence of thought?
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In 4.2 I gave reasons for doubting the existence or if not the existence the usefulness of infallible beliefs.
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You don't doubt the existence of chairs and tables, or the paper on which these words are written.
reason
▪
Was there any reason to doubt that 1972 would be just as successful?
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There is little reason to doubt O'Neill's honesty: clearly she had a very unusual experience.
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There are many reasons to doubt that.
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There is little reason to doubt the efficiency of this engine of justice.
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While there were clearly political motives involved, there seems no reason to doubt his sincerity.
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We know this from Soviet accounts, but there is little reason to doubt them.
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Those who proclaimed it may have done so for cynical reasons , but I doubt that they genuinely believed it.
validity
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Not for one moment did he doubt the validity of those ideas.
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Such evidence casts doubt on the validity of the income / leisure trade-off model.
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Later we shall have cause to doubt its accuracy and validity .
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If our beliefs have never been challenged or put to the test we may doubt their validity now.
wisdom
▪
It was as if the mere presence of the prize made each man doubt his own wisdom .
word
▪
Once you doubt my word , that's it.
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I expect you will not doubt my word too?
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It never occurred to her to doubt the warrior's word .
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She doubted the words would even be able to leave her mouth.
■ VERB
begin
▪
By the autumn of 1959, the Chiefs of Staff had begun to doubt its viability as an effective deterrent.
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I was teaching economics and watching people die on the streets when I began doubting what I had learned from the textbooks.
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I began to doubt my own soundness of mind.
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He had even begun to doubt himself!
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Otherwise we begin to doubt the concept.
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Some people began to doubt Frank.
cast
▪
The Newsweek story also casts doubt on the official version of what happened to Whitewater itself.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
be open to question/doubt
▪
The authenticity of the relics is open to doubt.
▪
Their motives are open to question.
▪
But whether Republicans want to cooperate is open to question.
▪
Even if, as is open to question, screen violence really does invite emulation, that is the wrong approach.
▪
In particular, the significance of the small number who say their work has been deskilled is open to question.
▪
It also is open to question how well equipped courts are to make this kind of determination-about the workings of economic markets.
▪
The entire business of basing regulations on animal tests is open to question.
▪
The President acceded to the Chancellor's request for two reasons, both of which were open to question.
▪
Whether the yeast could ever be as abundant as this is open to question.
▪
Whether this kind of Labour Party is capable of winning a general election is open to doubt.
beyond (a) reasonable doubt
▪
Civilised society generally only convicts where a man is guilty beyond reasonable doubt.
▪
Finally, although it is not proved beyond reasonable doubt, most experts agree that dry foods are beneficial to the teeth.
▪
If theft is not proved beyond reasonable doubt, they should consider handling.
▪
If we knew that, I think we'd be beyond reasonable doubt.
▪
In many cases, it will be hard for the prosecution to prove beyond reasonable doubt that he is lying.
▪
It means only that prosecutors failed to prove their guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, he said.
▪
Once the issue is validly raised, the prosecution has the burden of disproving it beyond reasonable doubt.
▪
They had to feel, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Bill had killed Sandy.
element of surprise/truth/risk/doubt etc
▪
I like the element of risk.
▪
If Weaver had been watching as Liz Spalding had been smuggled into the house, then the element of surprise was lost.
▪
It contains a major element of truth, even if it is not precisely the truth which its originators intended.
▪
The element of risk gave it an added excitement.
▪
There is an element of truth in all of these.
▪
There were elements of truth in this critique, Jim supposed.
▪
Web browsers, once limited to displaying text and graphics and downloading files, have created an entirely new element of risk.
▪
What I do is count on the element of surprise.
give sb the benefit of the doubt
▪
She claimed she wasn't trying to commit suicide, and doctors gave her the benefit of the doubt.
▪
Something didn't seem quite right, but I decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.
niggling doubt/worry/suspicion etc
▪
Almost immediately, the fretting, niggling worries and the sense of fearful anticipation began to return.
▪
Always, in the background, in the dim recesses of her mind, there had been that niggling doubt.
▪
And here a niggling doubt enters the mind.
▪
Nor did it remove the niggling suspicion that Isabel was hiding something.
▪
Of course, this is usually so, but I am having little niggling doubts about such a sweeping statement.
▪
There remains the niggling doubt that this delay has something to do with our muddled sentimentality towards animals.
▪
There was, however, a niggling doubt in the minds of some of the jurors.
not the slightest chance/doubt/difference etc
▪
But whether the parent with the yellow flowers supplies the egg or the pollen makes not the slightest difference.
▪
I tried closing my eyes; it made not the slightest difference.
▪
There was now not the slightest doubt that Hsu was decaying and losing her structural integrity.
without/beyond a shadow of a doubt
▪
Don't ask me how - but I knew it without a shadow of a doubt.
▪
Now she knew without a shadow of doubt that she wasn't.
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
▪
At the time we seriously doubted that the doctor had got the diagnosis right.
▪
He doubted that the car was hers because everyone knew she had no money.
▪
He may be able to do a good job, but I doubt it.
▪
He wondered how he could ever have doubted her.
▪
I doubt whether I'll be able to find a decent car for the price I can afford.
▪
I very much doubt whether we'll get someone for the job by September.
▪
In all the years I knew him I never once doubted his story.
▪
It was possible that Maggie had been delayed, but he doubted it.
▪
She says she'll leave him, but I doubt very much that she will.
▪
Some people doubted that the attacks on the American ships had actually taken place.
▪
The Navy never seriously doubted the inquiry's findings.
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They seriously doubted whether the letter had ever existed.
▪
We'd better go to the party, but I doubt if it'll be very exciting.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪
Her sincerity made me doubt my own version of events.
▪
I doubted that I would find one in time.
▪
No-one can doubt its power to evoke the imagination of millions upon millions of people through the ages and today.
▪
Still, I could not doubt that my vision had occurred, even though I had no way to verify it.
▪
They doubt that Caravaggio was even homosexual, as is widely believed.
▪
Who could doubt that at this late date?