Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Showing results for double entendre. Search instead for double+entendres.
Synonyms

double entendre

American  
[duhb-uhl ahn-tahn-druh, -tahnd, doo-blahn-tahn-druh] / ˈdʌb əl ɑnˈtɑn drə, -ˈtɑnd, du blɑ̃ˈtɑ̃ drə /

noun

plural

double entendres

  1. a double meaning.

  2. a word or expression used in a given context so that it can be understood in two ways, especially when one meaning is risqué.

double entendre British  
/ dubl ɑ̃tɑ̃drə, ˈdʌbəl ɑːnˈtɑːndrə, -ˈtɑːnd /

noun

  1. a word, phrase, etc, that can be interpreted in two ways, esp one having one meaning that is indelicate

  2. the type of humour that depends upon such ambiguity

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
double-entendre Cultural  

  1. A word or expression that has two different meanings (in French, double-entendre means “double meaning”), one of which is often bawdy or indelicate. A double-entendre is found in this sentence: “A nudist camp is simply a place where men and women meet to air their differences.”

Usage

What else does double entendre mean? A double entendre is a word or expression that can be understood in two ways, especially when one meaning is risqué. If you've ever cracked a that's what she said joke, you've created a double entendre.

Etymology

Origin of double entendre

From obsolete French, dating back to 1665–75; see origin at double, intend

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The series’ title is a meta double entendre referencing the strife we put ourselves through just trying to keep up appearances, as well as Skinner’s creative style.

From Salon • May 17, 2025

“Bab’s Uvula”: This first-season skit is filled with the kind of double entendre and quick wit that carved a path for the best of “SNL’s” skits.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 4, 2024

“I mean, it has to fit with secular society. It’s got to have some double entendre about the Gospel.”

From Washington Times • Aug. 18, 2023

“All American” — its title a slick double entendre — includes references to dookie braids and James Brown, writing the Black experience into the sort of country song that would ordinarily exclude it.

From New York Times • Sep. 17, 2021

He had a chip on his shoulder: it was a sort of black joke he shared with himself, a double entendre, made silently.

From "Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" by David Guterson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.