dou·ble-cross

(dŭb′əl-krôs′, -krŏs′)

tr.v. dou·ble-crossed, dou·ble-cross·ing, dou·ble-cross·es

To betray by acting in contradiction to a prior agreement. See Synonyms at deceive.

1. often double cross An act of betraying an ally, friend, or associate.

2. double cross Genetics A cross in which each parent is the product of a single cross. It can be represented as AB × CD, where A, B, C, and D are inbred lines.

dou′ble-cross′er n.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

double-crosser - a person who says one thing and does another

double-dealer, traitor, two-timer, betrayer

beguiler, cheater, deceiver, trickster, slicker, cheat - someone who leads you to believe something that is not true

Judas - someone who betrays under the guise of friendship

double-crosser

noun

One who betrays:

betrayer, Judas, traitor.

Informal: rat.

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

In the dark years of 1939-40 the US Ambassador in London was Joe Kennedy who confidently expected Hitler to win the war and send Britain "to hell." A memo from the British Foreign Office dismissed Kennedy as "a very foul specimen of double-crosser and defeatist." When the Blitz began, Kennedy moved out of London, prompting one British diplomat to observe: "I thought my daffodils were yellow until I met Joe Kennedy."

A KEEP-FIT column for over-60s [...]

However, intelligence documents paint him as a double-crosser. In 1968, when Britain and Israel were engaged in rivalry over Kenya's security contracts, he secretly invited the Israelis to help train the General Service Unit, before turning around to warn the British Commonwealth Secretary that the Jewish country was doing everything possible to penetrate Kenya's military and should be stopped.

Mystery behind Bruce McKenzie's death lingers on

An accomplice would be a potential double-crosser."

THE FIRST CRACKER; HUNT FOR MAD D BOMBER, FINALLY CAUGHT BY

The kids tangle with the petnappers all over town, but all is nearly lost when Indiana suspects that Tom is a no-good double-crosser who's in cahoots with the bad guys.

Indiana Bamboo

All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a visit, consultation, or advice of a legal, medical, or any other professional.