double-barrel

double-barrel is the alternative form of double-barrelled.

Meaning of double-barrelled

double-barrelled (not comparable)

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see double, barrelled. Having two barrels, as a gun.
Twofold, having a double purpose or nature.
- Alexander Taylor, a native of Stonehaven who in the later forties went to Edinburgh, where he enjoyed a double-barrelled reputation as a rhymester and as an astronomer.1972, Alexander Keith, A thousand years of Aberdeen
Having two separate parts, often adjoined by a hyphen (or sometimes a space).
- Almost unbelievably, some authors have formed the erroneous conception that ‘Hobson-Jobson’ is actually the double-barrelled surname of the dictionary’s editor.2018, James Lambert, “Setting the Record Straight: An In-depth Examination of Hobson-Jobson”, in International Journal of Lexicography, volume 31, number 4, →DOI, page 488
Synonyms:

hyphenated
(figuratively) Forceful, powerful (like a double-barrelled shotgun).
- When the sheriff arrested [Lucy Hicks Anderson] one night, her double-barrelled reputation paid off—Charles Donlon, the town's leading banker, promptly bailed her out. Reason: He had scheduled a huge dinner party, which would have collapsed dismally with Lucy In gaol.1945 November 6, “She trafficked in sin and souffle”, in Townsville Daily Bulletin, Queensland, Australia

double-barrel (third-person singular simple present double-barrels, present participle (US) double-barreling or (UK) double-barrelling, simple past and past participle (US) double-barreled or (UK) double-barrelled)

(transitive) To join with a hyphen or space.
- You be the judge: my husband refuses to double-barrel our surnames. Should I take his last name? [title]2024 November 29, Georgina Lawton, “You be the judge: my husband refuses to double-barrel our surnames. Should I take his last name?”, in The Guardian, →ISSN

double-barrel (plural double-barrels)

(informal) A double-barrelled gun, now especially a double-barrelled shotgun.
- Five minutes before one — brought down a moth / With my new double-barrel — stew'd the thighs, / And made a very tolerable broth […]1819 (date written), John Keats, “The Cap and Bells; or, The Jealousies”, in [Horace Elisha Scudder], editor, The Complete Poetical Works and Letters of John Keats, Cambridge edition, Boston, Mass....
- Killer started drinking that Friday night and the more he drank, the meaner he got. He sat on the couch smelling like liquor and piss. Mumbling and cursing with his double-barrel slung across his lap.2006, Noire [pseudonym], Thug-A-Licious: An Urban Erotic Tale, New York, N.Y.: One World, Ballantine Books, →ISBN, pages 46–47

Verb
third-person singular present	double-barrels
present participle US	double-barreling
present participle UK	double-barrelling
past participle US	double-barreled
past US	double-barreled
past participle UK	double-barrelled
past UK	double-barrelled
Noun
plural	double-barrels

What does double-barrel mean?: Double-barrel means to join with a hyphen or space.
What is double-barrel the alternative form of?: Double-barrel is the alternative form of double-barrelled.
What part of speech is double-barrel?: Double-barrel can be a verb or a noun.
What is the past tense of double-barrel?: The past tense of double-barrel is double-barreled.

Adapted from Wiktionary: double-barrel (page history and authors); double-barrelled (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.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

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