Double-Check – Usage & Meaning

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Candace Osmond

Candace Osmond studied Advanced Writing & Editing Essentials at MHC. She’s been an International and USA TODAY Bestselling Author for over a decade. And she’s worked as an Editor for several mid-sized publications. Candace has a keen eye for content editing and a high degree of expertise in Fiction.

Double-check is one of the many hyphenated compound words we use in the English language. I literally use it every day as I double-check my work before submitting it, double-check my kid’s lunches before they leave the house, and double-check my to-do list each morning.

This intransitive verb clearly means to check twice or perform a careful examination. Let’s investigate the meaning, usage, and origin of double-check.

What Does Double-Check Mean?

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The definition of double-check is to perform a careful examination to determine condition, accuracy, or progress.

Other people may use triple-check as a hyperbole in casual conversations or informal writing.

When you double-check or triple-check something, you ensure it is safe, improving, or correct. For example, you might want to double-check your room before leaving. Did you turn off the lights? Did you bring your keys? Is your bed neat?

This compound word belongs to the category of verbs, which means it expresses action while showing time.

Double-Check Origin

There is not much information on the origin of the verb double-check. But the first known use of the verb was in the twentieth century. Many believe it’s a term that came from military jargon to the general population.

Is Double-Check Hyphenated?

Yes. Double-check is a hyphenated compound word when used as a verb. We don’t combine it as one word like doublecheck or separate them as two words like double check.

You can use double check when referring to the noun. For instance, you can say you did a double check on something.

Double-Check Synonyms

  • Confirm
  • Find out
  • Verify
  • Fix
  • Learn
  • Learn the ropes of
  • Make certain
  • Make sure
  • Pick up on
  • Size up
  • Pick up
  • Peg
  • Catch on
  • Check out
  • Get down pat
  • Get hold of
  • Get the hang of
  • Read
  • See
  • Settle
  • Size
  • Tell
  • Identify
  • Check
  • Dig
  • Establish
  • Eyeball
  • Discover
  • Determine

What Is the Past Tense of Double-Check?

The past tense form of double-check is double-checked. Its other conjugations are double-check, will double-check, etc. Its present participle for continuous forms is double-checking.

How to Use Double-Check in a Sentence

Here are some examples of double-check in a sentence.

  • One way to double-check a company’s growth is to look at how its revenue, and earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) margins are changing. (Yahoo Sports UK)
  • Ken Hall could not believe what he was reading in early 2018. He asked a colleague to double-check. (Arkansas Online)
  • I speak to many students who are unaware that they could be entitled to other benefits depending on their situation and many who have wrongly been told they are not entitled to universal credit or had their payments miscalculated, so it is always worth double-checking these. (Nursing Times)
  • In a statement, Janes, who “couldn’t believe” she had won the lottery, said, “Everyone was going insane. People were getting their calculators out and double-checking. A couple of people even scanned the ticket on the lottery’s app, just to be sure.” She feels “truly blessed” at her unexpected win. (India Times)

Double-Check Summary

Double-check is a simple verb to remember. This hyphenated compound word means to check twice or perform a careful examination. What other compound words do you want to learn?