to think twice
107
3.6
- phrasal verb
- Informal
:
pensárselo dos veces
- You should think twice before making a decision you might regret.
- make someone think twice
But now I would think twice and most likely say no.
- But now I would think twice and most likely say no.
- But your video made me think twice about it more than anything else.
- A dumb little thing that you would just not even think twice about, but could save the day in a pinch.
- Freak, beast, animal, all these kinds of terms that we don't even think twice about ascribing to male athletes.
- Play on people's natural fears and anxieties to make them think twice.
- But what's so interesting is that I can give you a medication to make you less fat and nobody thinks twice about it, right?
- And yet no one's thinking twice about putting their daughter on to hormonal birth control.
- So if you do not like stickiness from a night mask, then I would definitely say maybe think twice about this one from The Body Shop.
Examples
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Did you even think twice?
-
Hey, Sissy, think twice before you move.
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So you better think twice before you say no to this.
-
But your video made me think twice about it more than anything else.
-
But now I would think twice and most likely say no.
-
Obviously it will make people think twice in lots of ways.
-
So think twice before you say no, I'm not going to do this.
-
If I were you, I'd think twice about playing that game again.
Fiction book (1993) -
It makes us think twice about what we're doing now.
-
My prestige in this little fight will grow, and others will think twice before crossing me.
Fiction book (1990)
Synonyms
∞
1.1
To think carefully before making a decision
227
3.7
To think again about a choice and possibly change it
105
3.2
To look at all the details and what may happen before you decide
22
6.4
To make someone stop and think carefully before deciding
8
3.8
Think carefully about different choices before you decide
8
3.0
To look at something carefully before deciding
4
3.5
To pause and imagine how your words will affect others before you say them
2
3.6
To consider what might happen before you do something
2
5.9
Think carefully about possible risks before you act
To stop and think before you say or do something that causes trouble
Antonyms
How Careful
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to consider something carefully' is directly derivable from 'think' + 'twice' because 'twice' signals doing the thinking more than once (repeating or pausing to reconsider), which conveys extra caution. This literal compositional logic is common across languages and follows a straightforward pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both words will very likely infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase think twice creates a clear image: you think once and then again to check your choice. So it means 'to consider something carefully before acting'.