doubles
B1Neutral, with specific technical use in sports.
Definition
Meaning
A plural noun referring to two of something, often a pair of people or items.
A tennis/badminton match with two players on each side. In cricket, a score where a batsman runs two times between the wickets after hitting the ball. Also refers to the playing of two identical musical notes successively (e.g., in drumming). Informally, a situation where a person acts in two roles simultaneously.
Linguistics
Semantic Notes
As a plural noun, 'doubles' often functions as a singular noun when referring to the sport (e.g., 'Doubles is fun'). Its meaning is heavily context-dependent, shifting from sports to darts to music.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Usage is largely identical, but the sports context (tennis, badminton) is universal. In darts, 'doubles' (hitting the double ring) is common in both. The informal sense of 'seeing double' (visual disturbance) is identical.
Connotations
Primarily neutral/sporting. Can have a positive connotation in sports (skill, teamwork) or a negative one in 'seeing double' (illness, intoxication).
Frequency
High frequency in sports contexts. Common in everyday UK English in phrases like 'double(s) for' (actor).
Vocabulary
Collocations
Grammar
Valency Patterns
play doubles (with somebody)partner somebody in doublesenter the doubleswin/lose at doublesVocabulary
Synonyms
Strong
Neutral
Weak
Vocabulary
Antonyms
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “see double”
- “doubles for (as a stand-in)”
- “on the double (quickly)”
Usage
Context Usage
Business
Rare. Could refer to a person acting in two roles ('She's doing doubles as manager and accountant this week').
Academic
Rare outside of sports science or music studies.
Everyday
Most common in discussing sports, casual games, or the phrase 'seeing double'.
Technical
Specific use in tennis/badminton/basketball (double-team), cricket (a 'double'), darts (double ring), and music (double stroke).
Examples
By Part of Speech
verb
British English
- He doubles as the coach and the physio.
- The actor doubles for the star in dangerous scenes.
American English
- She doubles as CEO and CFO.
- He doubled his investment in two years.
adjective
British English
- It was a doubles match to remember.
- They booked a doubles room (rare, 'double room' is standard).
American English
- They won the doubles championship.
- He ordered a doubles espresso (informal for a 'double shot').
Examples
By CEFR Level
- We played doubles in tennis yesterday.
- I see double when I'm very tired.
- Do you prefer singles or doubles in badminton?
- The film star's brother doubles for him in the action scenes.
- They've entered the mixed doubles tournament at Wimbledon.
- After the hit, the batsman easily ran two, securing a valuable double.
- Her ability to consistently hit her doubles under pressure won them the match point.
- The drummer's flawless doubles on the snare drove the rhythm of the piece.
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
DOUBLES sounds like 'two bulls' – imagine two bulls playing tennis as a pair.
Conceptual Metaphor
TWO IS A PAIRED TEAM (e.g., 'They are a great doubles team').
Watch out
Common Pitfalls
Translation Traps (for Russian speakers)
- Avoid direct translation for sports terms. Russian 'парная игра' is the specific concept, not a direct cognate. 'Doubles' is not the same as 'дубль' (duplicate).
Common Mistakes
- Using a singular verb for the sport context ('Doubles are fun' is less common than 'Doubles is fun'). Confusing 'on the double' (quickly) with playing doubles.
Practice
Quiz
In which context would 'doubles' NOT typically refer to a sporting event with two players per team?
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Grammatically plural, but when referring to the sport as an activity, it can take a singular verb (e.g., 'Doubles is more social').
'Double' is an adjective, verb, or singular noun (e.g., a double room, to double the amount). 'Doubles' is primarily a plural noun for the pair/team concept, especially in sports.
Yes, but it's less common. 'Two copies' or 'a pair' is more frequent. 'Doubles' is idiomatically fixed in phrases like 'see double' or specific contexts like sports.
A doubles match in sports like tennis or badminton where each team consists of one male and one female player.