I. doubt 1 S1 W1 /daʊt/ BrE AmE noun
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ doubtful , doubtless, ↑ indubitable , ↑ undoubted ; adverb : ↑ doubtfully , ↑ indubitably , ↑ undoubtedly ; noun : ↑ doubt , ↑ doubter ; verb : ↑ doubt ]
1 . [uncountable and countable] a feeling of being not sure whether something is true or right
doubt about
The incident raises doubts about the safety of nuclear power.
doubt as to
Some government ministers had serious doubts as to whether the policy would work.
There was still one little nagging doubt at the back of his mind.
There’s no doubt that he was a major artist.
2 . no doubt used when you are saying that you think something is probably true:
No doubt you’ll have your own ideas.
She was a top student, no doubt about it (=it is certainly true) .
3 . if/when (you’re) in doubt used when advising someone what to do if they are uncertain about something:
If in doubt, consult your doctor.
4 . be in doubt if something is in doubt, it may not happen, continue, exist, or be true:
The future of the peace talks is in doubt.
5 . beyond doubt if something is beyond doubt, it is completely certain:
The prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the accused is guilty of the crime.
put the game/result/match beyond doubt (=do something which makes it certain that a particular player or team will win a match)
Ferdinand’s second goal put the game beyond doubt.
6 . without doubt used to emphasize an opinion:
Jo is without doubt one of the finest swimmers in the school.
7 . open to doubt something that is open to doubt has not been proved to be definitely true or real:
The authenticity of the relics is open to doubt.
⇨ ↑ self-doubt , ⇨ give somebody/something the benefit of the doubt at ↑ benefit 1 (4)
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COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ have doubts
Scientists still have some doubts about the theory.
▪ have your doubts (=have some doubts)
Everyone else thinks it’s a good idea, but I have my doubts.
▪ have no/little doubt
I have no doubt that you are right.
▪ be in no/any doubt about something
The government is in no doubt about the seriousness of the situation.
▪ leave no/little doubt (that) (=make people sure or almost sure about something)
The evidence left no doubt that he was the murderer.
▪ cast/throw doubt on something (=make people unsure about something)
Research has cast doubt on the safety of mobile phones.
▪ raise doubts about something (=make people unsure about something)
His handling of the matter has raised doubts about his competence.
▪ call/throw something into doubt (=make people unsure about something)
The accuracy of his account was called into doubt.
▪ express/voice doubts (=say that you have doubts)
Many people expressed doubts about the necessity of the war.
■ adjectives
▪ serious/grave doubts
They have some serious doubts as to his honesty.
▪ considerable doubts
I had considerable doubts about accepting the job.
▪ a lingering/nagging doubt (=one that does not go away)
I still had a nagging doubt that there might be something seriously wrong.
■ phrases
▪ there is no/little/some doubt (=used to talk about how sure people are about something)
There is little doubt that he will play for England one day.
▪ without a shadow of a doubt (=without any doubt)
I knew without a shadow of a doubt that I was going to win.
▪ an element of doubt (=a slight doubt)
There’s an element of doubt about his true age as he doesn’t have a birth certificate.
▪ not the slightest doubt (=no doubt)
There’s not the slightest doubt in my mind about it.
II. doubt 2 S2 BrE AmE verb [transitive not in progressive]
[ Word Family: adjective : ↑ doubtful , doubtless, ↑ indubitable , ↑ undoubted ; adverb : ↑ doubtfully , ↑ indubitably , ↑ undoubtedly ; noun : ↑ doubt , ↑ doubter ; verb : ↑ doubt ]
[ Date: 1200-1300 ; Language: French ; Origin: douter , from Latin dubitare ]
1 . to think that something may not be true or that it is unlikely:
Kim never doubted his story.
doubt (that)
I doubt we’ll ever see him again.
doubt if/whether
You can complain, but I doubt if it’ll make any difference.
‘Do you think there’ll be any tickets left?’ ‘I doubt it (=I don’t think so) .’
2 . to not trust or have confidence in someone:
I never doubted myself. I always knew I could play tennis at this level.
She loved him, and had never doubted him.
I have no reason to doubt his word (=think that he is lying) .
—doubter noun [countable]
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THESAURUS
▪ doubt to think that something may not be true or that it is unlikely:
‘Do you think she really is eighteen?’ ‘I doubt it.’
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There was so much noise that I doubt if anyone slept.
▪ be doubtful/dubious /ˈdjuːbiəs $ ˈduː-/ to doubt that something will happen, is true, or is a good idea:
Economists are doubtful that the situation will improve this year.
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‘You can eat the whole fish including the head.’ Janey looked dubious.
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When my husband suggested emigrating, I was dubious at first.
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Mum looked doubtful when I suggested having a party for all my friends.
▪ have reservations to feel that a plan or idea may not be good because you think there may be some problems with it:
Health care professionals had reservations about giving both vaccines together.
▪ have misgivings to feel worried about doing something, because it may have a bad result:
Ralph had serious misgivings about changing his career at the age of 50.
▪ have mixed feelings to be unsure exactly how you feel about something or someone because there are both good and bad things about them:
I have very mixed feelings about moving house – it’s exciting but I’ll miss this area.
▪ have second thoughts to start having doubts about whether a decision you have just made is the right one:
I liked the dress in the shop, but when I got it home I had second thoughts.