double take
double take 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.
Noun
double take (plural double takes)
- 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.
- 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!
Forms of double take
| plural | double takes |
|---|---|
| alternative form | double-take |
| alternative form | doubletake |
Origin of double take
From take (“a visible (facial) response to something”) as used in acting, especially in comedy.
Words formed from double take
Questions about double take
- What does double take mean?
- Double take means 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.
- What part of speech is double take?
- Double take is a noun.
- What is the plural of double take?
- The plural of double take is double takes.
Words near double take in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: double take (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: “double take.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/double_take. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.