‘Double date’ doesn’t mean ‘dating two people’

The word ‘double date’ is an open compound noun used as a synonym for ‘infidelity’, ‘cheating’ or ‘dating two people’ by some speakers. However, this is not correct.

A double date is a situation where two couples go out on a date to see a movie, go to a restaurant, etc. It simply means an occasion where a couple goes on a date with another couple—four people in all.

Examples:

  1.  Tomi and Charles are coming over to the restaurant, so it’s a double date.
  2. For most of them, a double date is romantic until it’s time to pay the bill.

The verb form is double-date.

Example:

  1. We’ve all been together for over a decade; we’ve even been double-dating since high school.

According to etymonline.com, double date is originally an American English word. Though also considered old-fashioned, it’s still used in everyday English.

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