double down

• double-down

double down (third-person singular simple present doubles down, present participle doubling down or (nonstandard) double downing, simple past and past participle doubled down or (nonstandard) double downed)

1. (gambling, intransitive) To double one's wager, particularly, the name of a specific doubling bet allowed in blackjack.
   • 1999, Frederick Barthelme, Steven Barthelme, Double Down: Reflections on Gambling and Loss, →ISBN, page 66:

     He'd bet three thousand and double down to six thousand, all of it hanging on the turn of the next card.

2. (intransitive, figurative, by extension) To significantly increase a risk, investment, or other commitment; to respond to a challenge (e.g. to an opinion) by reinforcing or extending one's position rather than moderating it.

   Coordinate term: triple down

   • 2007 April 12, Peter Beinart, “The Kosovo Conundrum”, in Time:

     Hillary Clinton, John Edwards and Barack Obama all want to get out of Iraq. They all want to double down in Afghanistan.

   • 2017 September 19, Gwilym Mumford, “Kingsman: The Golden Circle review – spy sequel reaches new heights of skyscraping silliness”, in the Guardian‎:

     While 007 has been on extended annual leave as a result of Daniel Craig’s cold feet, Taron Egerton’s thoroughly less urbane secret agent Eggsy Unwin has managed to thoroughly outdo him, with Matthew Vaughn’s sequel to his hit 2015 comedy-thriller doubling down on the qualities that marked its predecessor out from the superspy pack: more star-filled, more gleefully grisly, and reaching new heights of skyscraping silliness.

   • 2019 July 24, David Austin Walsh, “Flirting With Fascism”, in Jewish Currents‎:

     Carlson, in his keynote, doubled down on Trump’s recent attacks on Somali-American Rep. Ilhan Omar.

   • 2019 October 12, Jason Koebler, “Blizzard Doubles Down, Says It Will Continue to Silence Players on 'Official Channels'”, in Vice‎:

     [Entertainment Company] Blizzard Doubles Down, Says It Will Continue to Silence Players on 'Official Channels'.

• For quotations using this term, see Citations:double down.