double
DOUBLE means twice an amount or size; it scores 9 points in Scrabble and has three one-letter neighbours.
Adjective 4 meanings
Made up of two matching or complementary elements.
“The closet has double doors.”
Of twice the quantity.
“Give me a double serving of mashed potatoes.”
Of a family relationship, related on both the maternal and paternal sides of a family.
“He's my double cousin as my mother's sister married my father's brother.”
Designed for two (people, cars, etc.).
“a double room”
Adverb 3 meanings
Twice over; twofold; doubly.
“February 7 1736, Jonathan Swift, letter to Alexander Pope I was double their age.”
Two together; two at a time.
“When I met the twins, I thought I was seeing double.”
Into two halves or sections.
“The old man was bent double under his heavy burden.”
Noun 4 meanings
Twice the number, amount, size, etc.
“I did double his sales this month.”
A person who resembles and stands in for another person, often for safety purposes
“Saddam Hussein was rumored to have many doubles.”
A drink with two portions of alcohol.
“On second thought, make that a double.”
Two shifts of work back to back.
“I work a double this weekend.”
Verb 4 meanings
To multiply by two.
“The company doubled their earnings per share over last quarter.”
To increase by 100%, to become twice as large in size.
“Our earnings have doubled in the last year.”
To be the double of; to exceed by twofold; to contain or be worth twice as much as.
To fold over so as to make two folds.
“To make a pleat, double the material at the waist.”
Etymology
From Middle English double, from Old French doble, double, from Latin duplus (“twofold”). Doublet of doppio and duple.
Similar and opposite words
DOUBLE is an everyday six-letter word with several distinct uses: a multiple, a stand-in who resembles someone else, a drink served with two portions, or two consecutive work shifts. Its familiar spelling makes it easy to recognize, but its game value comes from common low-value letters and a 3-point B. The word appears in ENABLE, NWL2023, and Collins.
DOUBLE at a glance
- DOUBLE scores 9 Scrabble points before any board-square bonuses.
- The B is worth 3 points and the D is worth 2; each other tile is worth 1.
- No anagrams of DOUBLE appear in the available word-game lists.
- Its three one-letter neighbours are DOUBLY, DOABLE, and ROUBLE.
- The BLE ending rhymes with 12 common words, including ABLE, TABLE, and TROUBLE.
What does DOUBLE mean?
DOUBLE most often means twice a quantity: a double portion, a double room, or a number multiplied by two. In grammar, it can work as a noun, verb, adjective, or adverb, so the surrounding words help identify the sense.
A second meaning is a stand-in who resembles another person, often used when safety matters. The word also names a drink containing two portions of alcohol and two work shifts performed back to back. Those meanings are distinct: a “double shift” refers to consecutive work.
That range makes DOUBLE familiar rather than obscure. It appears in ENABLE, NWL2023, and Collins, though a particular game can apply its own list or house rules. For a word lookup, the key distinction is that “twice as much” is only one of its established uses.
Which words differ from DOUBLE by one letter?
For a quick tile check, add D (2), B (3), and the four 1-point letters. That gives DOUBLE its 9-point base score before board bonuses.
Rhymes with double
All rhymes- ABLE6
- POSSIBLE12
- AVAILABLE14
- TABLE7
- RESPONSIBLE15
- TROUBLE9
- IMPOSSIBLE16
- TERRIBLE10
- COMFORTABLE20
- INCREDIBLE15
- CAPABLE13
- UNABLE8
One letter away
- DOUBLY12
- DOABLE9
- ROUBLE8
Questions people ask
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