doubling down
Reinforcing one's position
Doubling down originally comes from blackjack, where a player doubles their bet after seeing their initial cards—a calculated risk when the hand looks promising.
The phrase now describes committing more forcefully to a position or course of action, especially when facing criticism or evidence of failure: Instead of apologizing, he doubled down on his controversial remarks.
The gambling origin carries over—doubling down suggests raising the stakes rather than backing off.
- stakeSharpened post or share
- chipsThin fried slices
- riskPossibility of harm
- obstinacyUnyielding adherence to position
- gritDetermination or abrasive particles
stubbornness · table · resolve · fold · reinvest · escalation · entrenchment · no turning back · basic strategy · determination · inflexibility · commitment · amplification · digging in · chance · gamble · all in · high stakes
- card gamespoker, blackjack, solitaire, hearts, spades
- gamblinggamble, gambling, casinos, casino, bets
- bold movesrisk, dare, gambit, leap, leap of faith
- bettingbet, ante, wager, odds, stake
- campaign jargonstump speech, talking points, sound bites, soundbite, soundbites
- gambling tacticsbasic strategy, card counting, betting strategy, betting systems, running count
doubling downbacking off
Ceasing to pursue
backing down · retreating · pulling back · relenting · scaling back
doubling downreconsidering
Evaluating something again
pivoting · backpedaling · flip-flopping · rethinking · reassessing
doubling downretreating
Moving back from advance
withdrawing · standing down · disengaging · cutting losses · abandoning ship
down, double, doubled, downward, download, double down, downgrade, doubling, downplay