doubt

doubt
I
n.

1) to raise (a) doubt (her proposal raised serious doubts in my mind)

2) to cast doubt on

3) to feel doubt; to entertain, harbor doubts about

4) to express, voice (a) doubt

5) to dispel, resolve a doubt

6) a deep, serious, strong; gnawing; lingering; reasonable; slight doubt

7) doubts appear, arise

8) a doubt about, of

9) a doubt that + clause (he expressed serious doubt that he could finish the job on time)

10) beyond (a shadow of) a doubt; without a doubt

11) in doubt (the result was never in serious doubt)

12) (misc.) to give smb. the benefit of the doubt; (colloq.) there is no doubt about it: she's the best

USAGE NOTE: Some purists recommend that whether or the more informal if be used with the noun doubt, especially in the meaning 'uncertainty'

--she expressed doubt (about/as to) whether they would finish on time ('she was not certain whether they would finish on time').

In the meaning of 'disbelief', the conjunction that is common

--she expressed doubt that they would finish on time ('she did not believe that they would finish on time').

Note that in interrogative sentences the use of that prevails

--is there any doubt that they will finish on time?

In negative sentences the conjunction that must be used

-- there is no doubt that they will finish on time.

II
v.

1) to doubt strongly, very much

2) (L) I doubt that (if, whether) she will want to participate

USAGE NOTE: see the Usage Note for doubtI. Thus, to express 'uncertainty', one can say-

she doubted whether they would finish on time.

To express 'disbelief, one can say-

she doubted that they would finish on time.

In negative sentences, only that is used-

she doesn't doubt that they will finish on time.

* * *
[daʊt]
arise
gnawing
harbor doubts about
lingering
of
one can say-she doubted that they would finish on time. In negative sentences
one can say-she doubted whether they would finish on time. To express 'disbelief
only that is used-she doesn't doubt that they will finish on time.
resolve a doubt
slight doubt
strong
to entertain
to express 'uncertainty'
very much
voice (a) doubt
without a doubt
(misc.) to give smb. the benefit of the doubt
Thus
a deep
a doubt about
beyond (a shadow of) a doubt
to cast doubt on
to dispel
to express
to feel doubt
to doubt strongly
doubts appear
(L) I doubt that (if, whether) she will want to participate (USAGE NOTE: See the Usage Note for doubt)
a doubt that + clause (he expressed serious doubt that he could finish the job on time)
to raise (a) doubt (her proposal raised serious doubts in my mind)
in doubt (the result was never in serious doubt)

Combinatory dictionary. 2013.

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Synonyms:

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Doubt — • A state in which the mind is suspended between two contradictory propositions and unable to assent to either of them Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Doubt     Doubt      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • doubt — doubt·able; doubt·er; doubt·ful·ly; doubt·ful·ness; doubt·ing·ly; doubt·ing·ness; doubt·less·ness; doubt·some; re·doubt·able; re·doubt·ably; re·doubt·ed; un·doubt·ed·ly; un·doubt·ing·ly; doubt; doubt·ful; doubt·less; mis·doubt; re·doubt;… …   English syllables

  • doubt — I (indecision) noun ambiguity, anxiety, apprehension, apprehensiveness, confusion, dubitatio, dubito, faltering, feeling of uncertainty, hesitancy, improbability, inability to decide, incertitude, indefiniteness, indeterminateness,… …   Law dictionary

  • Doubt — Doubt, n. [OE. dute, doute, F. doute, fr. douter to doubt. See {Doubt}, v. i.] 1. A fluctuation of mind arising from defect of knowledge or evidence; uncertainty of judgment or mind; unsettled state of opinion concerning the reality of an event,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Doubt — Doubt, v. t. 1. To question or hold questionable; to withhold assent to; to hesitate to believe, or to be inclined not to believe; to withhold confidence from; to distrust; as, I have heard the story, but I doubt the truth of it. [1913 Webster]… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • doubt — verb. 1. I doubt whether he ll come and I doubt if he ll come are the standard constructions when doubt is used in the affirmative to mean ‘think it unlikely’. When doubt is used in the negative to mean ‘think it likely’, a that clause is normal …   Modern English usage

  • doubt — (v.) early 13c., to dread, fear, from O.Fr. doter doubt, be doubtful; be afraid, from L. dubitare to doubt, question, hesitate, waver in opinion (related to dubius uncertain; see DUBIOUS (Cf. dubious)), originally to have to choose between two… …   Etymology dictionary

  • doubt — [dout] vi. [ME douten < OFr douter < L dubitare, to waver in opinion < dubius, DUBIOUS; b reintroduced, after L, in 16th c.] 1. to be uncertain in opinion or belief; be undecided 2. to be inclined to disbelief 3. Archaic to hesitate vt.… …   English World dictionary

  • Doubt — (dout), v. i. [imp. & p. p. {Doubted}; p. pr. & vb. n. {Doubting}.] [OE. duten, douten, OF. duter, doter, douter, F. douter, fr. L. dubitare; akin to dubius doubtful. See {Dubious}.] 1. To waver in opinion or judgment; to be in uncertainty as to… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • doubt — ► NOUN ▪ a feeling of uncertainty. ► VERB 1) feel uncertain about. 2) question the truth of. ● no doubt Cf. ↑no doubt DERIVATIVES doubter …   English terms dictionary

  • doubt — [n] lack of faith, conviction; questioning agnosticism, ambiguity, apprehension, confusion, demurral, difficulty, diffidence, dilemma, disbelief, discredit, disquiet, distrust, dubiety, dubiousness, faithlessness, faltering, fear, hesitancy,… …   New thesaurus

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