I. doub ‧ le 1 S1 W2 /ˈdʌb ə l/ BrE AmE adjective [usually before noun]
[ Date: 1100-1200 ; Language: Old French ; Origin: Latin duplus , from duo 'two' + -plus 'multiplied by' ]
1 . OF TWO PARTS consisting of two parts that are similar or exactly the same:
a double sink
a double wardrobe
the great double doors of the cathedral
Don’t park your car on double yellow lines.
2 . TWO DIFFERENT USES combining or involving two things of the same type:
a double murder case
A lot of the jokes were based on double meaning.
3 . TWICE AS BIG twice as big, twice as much, or twice as many as usual:
a double whisky
The city was enclosed by walls of double thickness.
4 . FOR TWO PEOPLE made for two people or things to use ⇨ single :
Do you need a double bed or two singles?
a double room
a double garage
5 . TWO LETTERS/NUMBERS British English spoken used to say that a particular letter or number is repeated:
My name’s Robbins with a double ‘b’.
The number is 869 double 2 (=86922) .
6 . FLOWER a double flower has more than the usual number of ↑ petal s
⇨ ↑ doubly
II. double 2 BrE AmE noun
1 . TWICE THE SIZE [uncountable and countable] something that is twice as big, as much etc as usual or as something else:
Scotch and water, please – make it a double.
‘They offered me £10,000.’ ‘I’ll give you double.’
2 . ROOM [countable] a room for two people in a hotel ⇨ single :
A double costs $95 a night.
3 . TENNIS doubles [uncountable] a game played between two pairs of players, especially in tennis ⇨ singles :
the men’s doubles
⇨ ↑ mixed doubles
4 . BASEBALL [countable] a hit in baseball which allows the ↑ batter to reach second ↑ base :
Walker led the inning with a double.
5 . SIMILAR PERSON sb’s double someone who looks very like someone else:
She’s her mother’s double.
6 . IN FILMS [countable] an actor who takes the place of a more famous actor in a film, especially because the acting involves doing something dangerous:
I think they used a double in the shower scene.
7 . at the double British English , on the double American English informal very quickly and without any delay:
He was told to get back to Washington on the double.
8 . double or quits British English , double or nothing American English a situation in a game when you must do something that could either win you twice as much money or make you lose it all
III. double 3 S3 BrE AmE verb
1 . [intransitive and transitive] to become twice as big or twice as much, or to make something twice as big or twice as much
double in size/number/value etc
Within two years the company had doubled in size.
The church has doubled its membership in the last five years.
double the size/number/amount etc (of something)
A promise was given to double the number of police on duty.
2 . [transitive] ( also double over/up ) to fold something in half:
Take a sheet of paper and double it over.
3 . [intransitive] to hit the ball far enough to get to second ↑ base in a game of baseball
double as somebody/something phrasal verb
to have a second use, job, or purpose as a particular thing:
The school doubled as a hospital during the war.
double back phrasal verb
to turn around and go back the way you have come:
The driver doubled back and headed for Howard Bay.
double back on yourself
We kept getting lost and having to double back on ourselves.
double up phrasal verb
1 . ( also double over ) to suddenly bend over at the waist because you are laughing so much or are in pain:
Emilio doubled over, grabbing his leg.
be doubled up/over with laughter/pain etc
Both the girls were doubled up with laughter.
2 . to share something, especially a bedroom
double up with
You’ll have to double up with Susie while your aunt is here.
IV. double 4 BrE AmE adverb
be bent double to be bent over a long way:
The trees were almost bent double in the wind.
⇨ see double at ↑ see 1 (29)
V. double 5 BrE AmE predeterminer
twice as big, twice as much, or twice as many
double the amount/number/size etc
We’ll need double this amount for eight people.
The value of the house is double what it was.