double entendre

noun

dou·ble en·ten·dre ˈdə-bəl-än-ˈtänd(-rə)

ˈdüb-ᵊl-äⁿ-ˈtäⁿd(rᵊ)

plural double entendres ˈdə-bəl-än-ˈtänd(-rə)

ˈdüb-ᵊl-äⁿ-ˈtäⁿd(rᵊ)(z)

also ˈdüb-ᵊl-äⁿ-ˈtäⁿz;

ˈdə-bəl-än-ˈtän-drəz

linguistics : a word or expression capable of two interpretations with one usually risqué

flirty talk full of double entendres

literature : ambiguity of meaning arising from language that lends itself to more than one interpretation

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What is the Difference Between a double entendre and a pun?

The words double entendre and pun are both about double meanings. Double entendre, in fact, originated in an obsolete expression in French, which means “double meaning.” The origins of pun are less certain, but it likely traces to the Italian word puntiglio meaning “fine point, quibble.” In English, double entendre refers to a double meaning in which one meaning is usually shocking or risqué in its sexual suggestiveness. Pun usually has more to do with silly or humorous double meanings than with anything sexually suggestive or lewd.

Examples of double entendre in a Sentence

The song's title is a double entendre.

Recent Examples on the Web

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Roster gyrates up a storm as Maurice wiggles his way back into the picture, indulging in double entendres astride the baby grand. —

Karen D'souza, The Mercury News, 25 Oct. 2024 In this delightfully campy madcap comedy, Elvira heads to small-town Massachusetts to receive an inheritance from her dead aunt, only to find out that the villagers aren’t fans of her cleavage, nor of her penchant for double entendre. —

Samantha Allen, Them, 15 Oct. 2024 And yet…the rhyme schemes, the reduplication, the semantic shifts, the conversions, the deliberate grammatical oddities, and rich double entendres–Carpenter is, for some people, the greatest poet to have ever put pen to paper. —

Daniel Rodgers, Vogue, 8 Oct. 2024 The art of the exchange — be it through characters sharing double entendres or entire theaters getting caught up in call-and-response — is characteristic of film noir, midnight movies, and, yes, sing-a-longs. —

Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 26 July 2024 See all Example Sentences for double entendre

Word History

Etymology

obsolete French, literally, double meaning

First Known Use

1673, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler

The first known use of double entendre was in 1673

See more words from the same year

Cite this Entry

Style

“Double entendre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/double%20entendre. Accessed 29 Nov. 2024.

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