Meaning & use
double amputee
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person who has had both arms or both legs removed by surgery or lost in an accident.
Grammar: Countable: use 'a double amputee' or 'double amputees'.
Patterns
- a double amputee
- become a double amputee
After the accident, he became a double amputee and now uses two artificial legs.
The charity provides sports equipment for double amputees.
She is a double amputee who competes in wheelchair racing.
Word forms
| plural | double amputees |
|---|
Common combinations
- double amputee athlete
- The double amputee athlete won a gold medal in the Paralympics.
- become a double amputee
- He became a double amputee after a serious infection.
- double amputee from the knee
- She is a double amputee from the knee down.
- help double amputees
- New prosthetic technology can help double amputees walk more naturally.
Synonyms and how they differ
- bilateral amputee
- More technical and formal; used in medical contexts.
Word family
- amputee noun
- A person who has lost one limb.
- amputation noun
- The medical operation of removing a limb.
Commonly confused: double amputee or quadruple amputee?
double amputee vs quadruple amputee
A quadruple amputee has lost all four limbs, not just two.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'double amputee' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Double amputee' refers to a person who has lost two limbs, so 'He is a double amputee' is correct. The other options confuse the person with the condition or the operation.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “double amputee”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.