doubts 1 of 2

noun

plural of doubt
as in suspicions
a feeling or attitude that one does not know the truth, truthfulness, or trustworthiness of someone or something from the beginning I had my doubts about the investment scheme

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doubts

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of doubt
as in questions
to have no trust or confidence in I doubt that you can do all that you say

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of doubts
Noun
Before Santos was sworn into office in 2023, doubts about his biography had emerged. — Justin Papp, CNBC, 31 Aug. 2026 For Green, and the Warriors (2-0), the victory eliminated any lingering doubts about their season opener last week, a thrilling, 32-26 triple-overtime win against Newbury Park. — Joel Beers, Los Angeles Times, 29 Aug. 2026 Trump has also failed to hold the annual summits of the Quad, raising doubts that the United States is committed to that security partnership and to preventing Chinese dominance across Asia. — C. Raja Mohan, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026 Lindsay Clancy lived for her kids, attorney says Clancy’s attorney criticized the prosecution’s case and raised doubts about the police investigation while painting Clancy as a good mother. — Michael Casey, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 Pochettino had real doubts about the viability of deploying Fernandez in a double midfield pivot with Moises Caicedo. — Liam Twomey, New York Times, 26 Aug. 2026 In the past, Cofnas has expressed doubts about the intellectual abilities of Blacks in comparison to whites. — Roger J. Kreuz, The Conversation, 21 Aug. 2026 Fauci is accused of steering the narrative towards a natural origin for COVID-19, despite internal doubts about a plausible lab leak. — Ian Dexter Palmer, Forbes.com, 20 Aug. 2026 But policy analysts who study cost containment have doubts about how effective the new penalties will be. — Katy Golvala, Hartford Courant, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
Meta could introduce technical solutions, like automatically blurring faces, as Google does in Street View images, but Szydlowski doubts Meta would voluntarily make such a privacy-conscious change without regulatory or public pressure. — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 2026 The Israeli government said in a message in English that conversations were deep and constructive, while a message in Hebrew, attributed to an anonymous Israeli official, emphasized disagreements and said that Israel doubts Hamas will disarm. — Brittney Melton, NPR, 18 Aug. 2026 But almost no one doubts that they are protected by the First Amendment. — Andrew Marantz, New Yorker, 17 Aug. 2026 Forbes probably won’t sue Despite the range of legal theories available, Friedman doubts Forbes will actually bring a case. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2026 Zhang doubts the move will derail development of AI companion services substantially, though, since tech companies are working on alternatives. — ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026 Energy company Equinor doubts the bloc will hit even its softened 80% winter target. — semafor.com, 31 July 2026 The monastic Wiesler eventually comes to believe Dreyman is harmless and in the process doubts the very foundations of autocracy itself. — David Faris, TheWeek, 27 July 2026 Kerr doubts his name will remain atop the record books for another 27 years. — George Edwards, New York Times, 21 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for doubts
  1. suspicions
  2. questions
  3. uncertainties
  4. skepticism
  5. concerns
Noun
  • Instead old habits, suspicions, anger and betrayal reign on both sides.
    — Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Newcomers Álvarez and Knight couldn’t be better in their newlywed roles, convincing in their giddy love scenes, their casual affections, their unwanted suspicions and, most of all, their terror at whatever is lurking in the air and in their souls.
    — Greg Evans, Deadline, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of suspicions
Verb
  • In the clip, Maya questions her father’s view of what holds their family together.
    — Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 2 Sep. 2026
  • DuBose questions the allegation that Fields’ sucker-punched his teammate.
    — Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of questions
Noun
  • Congress should require any major public health directive from an agency or its political leadership to include a scientific assessment describing the evidence, uncertainties, and why the action is proportionate to the threat.
    — Debra Houry, STAT, 28 Aug. 2026
  • In the meantime, news of the court's decision has created new uncertainties for voters that state and local election officials must grapple with weeks before Election Day.
    — Sarah D. Wire, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of uncertainties
Noun
  • Among attendees of the conference, however, a clearer skepticism emerged about Warsh’s endgame.
    — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Warsh on Friday reiterated his skepticism about providing such guidance or even outlining his broad approach to interest-rate policy.
    — Christopher Rugaber, Fortune, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of skepticism
Noun
  • In the bond space, benchmark borrowing costs around the world are extending multi-decade highs as inflation concerns and debt levels keep investors on edge.
    — Leonie Kidd, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2026
  • For the second day in a row, an ozone alert has been issued for the Kansas City area as a late-summer heat wave continues to raise concerns about unhealthy air, according to the Mid-America Regional Council.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of concerns

Browse Nearby Words

doubtlessness
doubts
douceur
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Cite this Entry

“Doubts.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/doubts. Accessed 5 Sep. 2026.

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