Word.ws English Dictionary

body double

body double noun: a film stand-in for an actor, in scenes not involving the face, especially during scenes of nudity, or of dangerous activity.

Noun

body double (plural body doubles)

  1. A film stand-in for an actor, in scenes not involving the face, especially during scenes of nudity, or of dangerous activity.
  2. A political decoy; a person employed to impersonate a politician, in order to draw attention away from the real person or to take risks on their behalf.
  3. A person who is present nearby, or virtually connected to, a person with ADHD in order to increase their attention and focus.
    • The coach should be prepared to become the client’s [ADDer's] “body double.” Her presence, especially with direct eye contact, sharpens the client’s attention and vigilance1999, Raizi Abby Janus, Mapping Careers with LD and ADD Clients: Guidebook and Case Studies, Columbia University Press, →ISBN, page 211

Verb

body double (third-person singular simple present body doubles, present participle body doubling, simple past and past participle body doubled)

  1. (intransitive) To stand in for an actor in a film.
  2. (intransitive) To impersonate a politician in order to draw attention away from the real person or to take risks on their behalf.
  3. (intransitive) To be present nearby, or virtually connected to, a person with ADHD in order to increase their attention and focus.
    • I suggest that instead of actively attempting to organize Beth, Jack should body double for her. In this new passive role, Jack putters with his own work while Beth organizes her desk.1998, Judith Kolberg, Conquering Chronic Disorganization, 2nd edition, Decatur: Squall Press, published 2006, →ISBN, page 108

body double meaning in Tamil

body double in Tamil

மாற்று நடிகர், மறை நடிகர்

Forms of body double

Noun
pluralbody doubles
Verb
third-person singular presentbody doubles
present participlebody doubling
past participlebody doubled
pastbody doubled

Origin of body double

The psychological sense was coined by ADHD coach Linda Anderson in 1996.

Questions about body double

What does body double mean?
Body double means a film stand-in for an actor, in scenes not involving the face, especially during scenes of nudity, or of dangerous activity.
What is body double in Tamil?
Body double in Tamil is மாற்று நடிகர், மறை நடிகர். See Body double meaning in Tamil.
What part of speech is body double?
Body double can be a noun or a verb.
What is the plural of body double?
The plural of body double is body doubles.

Words near body double in the dictionary

  1. body cords
  2. body corporate
  3. body corporates
  4. body count
  5. body counts
  6. body double
  7. body doubled
  8. body doubles
  9. body doubling
  10. body dysmorphia
  11. body dysmorphias

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: body double (page history and authors); body double (Tamil Wiktionary) (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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Cite this entry: “body double.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/body_double. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.