double down

present singular third person doubles down · nonstandard present singular third person double downs · participle present doubling down · nonstandard participle present double downing · participle past doubled down · past doubled down · nonstandard participle past double downed · nonstandard past double downed · alternative double-down

1. intransitivegamblingTo double one's wager, particularly, the name of a specific doubling bet allowed in blackjack.

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

   1999, Frederick Barthelme, Steven Barthelme, Double Down: Reflections on Gambling and Loss, →ISBN, page 66

2. broadlyfigurativelyintransitiveTo 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.

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

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

   3 more examples

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

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

   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.

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

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

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