doubt (doubts plural & 3rd person present) (doubting present participle) (doubted past tense & past participle )
1 n-var If you have doubt or doubts about something, you feel uncertain about it and do not know whether it is true or possible. If you say you have no doubt about it, you mean that you are certain it is true.
(=uncertainty)
This raises doubts about the point of advertising...
2 verb If you doubt whether something is true or possible, you believe that it is probably not true or possible.
Others doubted whether that would happen... V wh
3 verb If you doubt something, you believe that it might not be true or genuine.
No one doubted his ability... V n
4 verb If you doubt someone or doubt their word, you think that they may not be telling the truth., (Antonym: trust)
No one directly involved with the case doubted him... V n
5 You say that something is beyond doubt or beyond reasonable doubt when you are certain that it is true and it cannot be contradicted or disproved.
♦
beyond doubt phrase
(emphasis)
A referendum showed beyond doubt that voters wanted independence...
6 If you are in doubt about something, you feel unsure or uncertain about it.
♦
in doubt phrase
He is in no doubt as to what is needed...
7 You say I doubt it as a response to a question or statement about something that you think is untrue or unlikely.
♦
I doubt it convention
`Somebody would have seen her.'<emdash>`I doubt it, not on Monday.'
8 If you say that something is in doubt or open to doubt, you consider it to be uncertain or unreliable.
♦
in doubt phrase
(=uncertain)
The outcome was still in doubt...
9 You use no doubt to emphasize that something seems certain or very likely to you.
♦
no doubt phrase
(emphasis)
(=undoubtedly)
The contract for this will no doubt be widely advertised...
10 You use no doubt to indicate that you accept the truth of a particular point, but that you do not consider it is important or contradicts the rest of what you are saying.
♦
no doubt phrase
No doubt many will regard these as harsh words, but regrettably they are true.
11 If you say that something is true without doubt or without a doubt, you are emphasizing that it is definitely true.
♦
without (a) doubt phrase
(emphasis)
(=undoubtedly)
Without doubt this was the most important relationship I developed at college...
12
→
the benefit of the doubt
→
benefit
→
a shadow of a doubt
→
shadow