uncertainty about the truth, fact, or existence of something (esp in the phrases in doubt, without doubt, beyond a shadow of doubt, etc)
2. (often plural)
lack of belief in or conviction about something
all her doubts about the project disappeared
3.
an unresolved difficulty, point, etc
4. philosophy
the methodical device, esp in the philosophy of Descartes, of identifying certain knowledge as the residue after rejecting any proposition which might, however improbably, be false
5. obsolete
fear
6. give someone the benefit of the doubt
7. no doubt
verb
8. (tr; may take a clause as object)
to be inclined to disbelieve
I doubt we are late
9. (transitive)
to distrust or be suspicious of
he doubted their motives
10. (intransitive)
to feel uncertainty or be undecided
11. (tr; may take a clause as object) Scottish
to be inclined to believe
12. (transitive) archaic
to fear
13. I wouldn't doubt someone
▶ USAGE Where a clause follows doubt in a positive sentence, it was formerly considered correct to use whether (I doubt whether he will come ), but now if and that are also acceptable. In negative statements, doubt is followed by that: I do not doubt that he is telling the truth. In such sentences, but (I do not doubt but that he is telling the truth) is redundant
Derived forms
doubtable (ˈdoubtable)
adjective
doubtably (ˈdoubtably)
adverb
doubter (ˈdoubter)
noun
doubtingly (ˈdoubtingly)
adverb
Word origin
C13: from Old French douter, from Latin dubitāre
dubitation in American English
(ˌduːbɪˈteiʃən, ˌdjuː-)
noun
archaic
doubt
Word origin
[1400–50; late ME (‹ MF, OF) ‹ L dubitātiōn- (s. of dubitātiō), equiv. to dubitāt(us), ptp. of dubitāre (dubit-doubt + -ātus-ate1) + -iōn--ion]This word is first recorded in the period 1400–50. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: curl, mature, peg, transit, trunk-ion is a suffix, appearing in words of Latin origin, denoting action or condition, usedin Latin and in English to form nouns from stems of Latin adjectives (communion; union), verbs (legion; opinion), and esp. past participles (allusion; creation; fusion; notion; torsion)