double down

• double-down

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

1. (gambling) To double one's wager. In particular, it is the name of a specific doubling bet allowed in blackjack.
   • 1999, Frederick Barthelme and 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. (by extension, often followed by the preposition on) To double or significantly increase a risk, investment, or other commitment.
   • 2007, Peter Beinart, "The Kosovo Conundrum," Time, 12 April:

     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.

The alternative inflected forms double downing and double downed are sometimes seen.

For quotations of use of this term, see Citations:double down.