TOP

Definition of doubt verb from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

doubt

verb
 
/daʊt/
 
/daʊt/
Verb Forms
present simple I / you / we / they doubt
 
/daʊt/
 
/daʊt/
he / she / it doubts
 
/daʊts/
 
/daʊts/
past simple doubted
 
/ˈdaʊtɪd/
 
/ˈdaʊtɪd/
past participle doubted
 
/ˈdaʊtɪd/
 
/ˈdaʊtɪd/
-ing form doubting
 
/ˈdaʊtɪŋ/
 
/ˈdaʊtɪŋ/
jump to other results
  1. to feel uncertain about something; to feel that something is not true, will probably not happen, etc.
    • doubt something There seems no reason to doubt her story.
    • to doubt the sincerity/wisdom/existence of something
    • ‘Do you think England will win?’—‘I doubt it.’
    • doubt (that)… I never doubted (that) she would come.
    • She seriously doubted he would still be waiting for her.
    • doubt whether, if, etc… I doubt whether the new one will be any better.
    Extra Examples
    • I didn't doubt for a second that she was telling the truth.
    • Lee privately doubted the truth of this statement.
    Topics Doubt, guessing and certaintyb1
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • highly
    • seriously
    • very much
    phrases
    • not doubt something for a moment, second, etc.
    See full entry
  2. doubt somebody/something to not trust somebody/something; to not believe somebody
    • I had no reason to doubt him.
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb
    • highly
    • seriously
    • very much
    phrases
    • not doubt something for a moment, second, etc.
    See full entry
  3. Word OriginMiddle English: from Old French doute (noun), douter (verb), from Latin dubitare ‘hesitate’, from dubius ‘doubtful’.
See doubt in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee doubt in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
previously
adverb
 
 
From the Word list
Oxford 3000
B1
Oxford Learner's Dictionaries Word of the Day