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double

n.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈdəbəɫ// UK //dˈʌbəl// dou·ble Archaic General-service Informal Slang

n. twice as much or twice as many of something. It can also describe something that is made of two similar parts.

n. amounting to twice the number, size, value, or strength; consisting of two equal or similar parts.


SIMPLE

I would like a double room, please.

CONTEXTUAL

The recipe calls for a double portion of sugar for an extra sweet cake.

COMPLEX

He led a double life, maintaining a family in the city while secretly working as a government agent abroad.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

PIE word *dwóh₁ From Middle English double, from Old French doble, double, from Latin duplus (“twofold”). Doublet of doppio and duple.

Usage

Functions as an adjective before a noun (e.g., 'a double espresso') or as a predeterminer before another determiner (e.g., 'double the amount').

Pitfall

I need double books.I need double the number of books.When used as a quantifier for countable nouns, 'double' requires a determiner like 'the' or a phrase like 'the number of'. It cannot directly modify a plural noun in this way.

Idioms7 entries

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