Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

double take

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.96 in modern English

Syllables: dou-ble -take
IPA

17

Scrabble Score

10

Letters

3

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An abrupt movement, used, for example, as a comical reaction to a surprising sight, in which someone casually sees something, briefly stops looking at it, realizes what it is, and snaps attention back to it with an expression of surprise or disbelief.

Example Sentences

"Smith passes the car and does a double take as he realizes it is on fire."
"I swear I did a double take when I spotted that $100 bill lying in the gutter!"
"Once a neighbor complained that a Gilbreth had called the neighbor's boy a son of an unprintable word.“What are the facts of the matter?” Dad asked blandly. And then walked away while the neighbor registered a double take."

Etymology

From take (“a visible (facial) response to something”) as used in acting, especially in comedy.

Inflected Forms

double takes (plural) double-take (alternative) doubletake (alternative)

Phrases

double taker

Questions

What does double take mean?: An abrupt movement, used, for example, as a comical reaction to a surprising sight, in which someone casually sees something, briefly stops looking at it, realizes what it is, and snaps attention back to it with an expression of surprise or disbelief.
Where does double take come from?: From take (“a visible (facial) response to something”) as used in acting, especially in comedy.

How to pronounce double take

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