doubt

doubt1 [ daut ] noun count ***

a feeling of not being certain about something:

doubt about/as to: There seems to be some doubt as to whether this is legal.

have no/little doubt that: I have no doubt that he will succeed.

there is little/no doubt that: There's little doubt that the measures will be extremely unpopular.

cast doubt on something (=make you uncertain about it): New evidence casts doubt on his murder conviction.

raise doubts (=make you have doubts): The accident raised doubts about the safety of the aircraft.

nagging/lingering doubts: Nagging doubts about her story do remain.

grave/serious doubts: I have serious doubts about whether this system will work.

be in doubt

1. ) if you are in doubt about something, you do not know what to do about it:

He is still in some doubt about whether to go or not.

2. ) if something is in doubt, it is not certain whether it will succeed or continue to exist:

The future of the company is still in doubt.

beyond (any) doubt

1. ) in a way that is completely certain:

His ability to succeed has been established beyond any doubt.

2. ) if something is beyond doubt, it is completely certain:

What is beyond doubt is that he is utterly incompetent.

beyond (a) reasonable doubt LEGAL

to a degree that the law considers to be satisfactory for making a decision:

The prosecution cannot prove beyond all reasonable doubt that she intended to kill him.

have your doubts (about)

to have reasons why you do not feel certain about someone or something

if/when in doubt

if you are not certain: used when giving advice or instructions:

If in doubt, get someone to help you.

no doubt

1. ) used for emphasizing that something seems certain or very likely:

No doubt she'll tell me everything when she's ready.

2. ) used for showing that you accept something is probably true, but this does not change your opinion:

No doubt she's very nice, but I just don't like her.

3. ) no doubt about it used for emphasizing that something is definitely true:

No doubt about it, we've got problems.

open to doubt

not definite, and perhaps not even likely

without (a) doubt

very definitely: used for emphasis:

She is without a doubt one of our most talented students.

=> BENEFIT1

doubt

doubt 2 [ daut ] verb transitive **

1. ) to think that something is probably not true or that it probably does not exist:

Some people doubt my story but I will prove them wrong.

No one doubts the need for improvement.

doubt (that): I don't doubt you're right, but I still disagree.

2. ) to think that something is unlikely:

Do you think they'll win? I doubt it.

doubt (that): He promised to come but I doubt he will.

doubt whether/if: I doubt very much whether we can change it now.

3. ) to feel that you cannot trust or believe someone:

How could you have doubted me?

a ) doubt someone's word to believe that someone is probably not telling the truth

doubt yourself

to think that you may be making a mistake

╾ doubt|er noun count