Meaning & use
submit in duplicate
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Meanings
phrasefixed phraseformal
to hand in two identical copies of the same document, usually to an office or authority.
Grammar: Use it after the thing being handed in, or with no object at all: 'Submit the form in duplicate.' The verb form changes with the subject, but 'in duplicate' never changes.
Patterns
- submit something in duplicate
- submit the application in duplicate
- be submitted in duplicate
Please submit your application in duplicate so both reviewers can read it.
The visa office asks you to submit your bank statements in duplicate.
All reports were submitted in duplicate, one copy for the file and one for the manager.
phrasefixed phraseformal
in two exactly matching copies, when talking about documents that are handed in.
Grammar: Often used after a noun as a label on forms, for example 'Application form (in duplicate)'. It describes the copies, not the act of handing them in.
Patterns
- something in duplicate
- two copies in duplicate
The contract must arrive in duplicate before Friday.
Send the invoice in duplicate to the accounts department.
Common combinations
- submit an application in duplicate
- You must submit an application in duplicate if you are applying for two positions.
- a form in duplicate
- Hand in a form in duplicate at the front desk.
- copies in duplicate
- The lawyer asked for the signed copies in duplicate.
- be submitted in duplicate
- Late work will not be accepted unless it is submitted in duplicate.
Synonyms and how they differ
- in two copies
- Plainer and more common in speech; use it when you do not need the formal office tone.
- in triplicate
- Means three identical copies rather than two, so use it only when three are needed.
Word family
Commonly confused: submit in duplicate or duplicity? submit in duplicate or replicate?
submit in duplicate vs duplicity
Sounds similar but means dishonest double-dealing, not making two copies.
submit in duplicate vs replicate
Means to copy or reproduce something, often in science; it does not carry the 'two copies handed in' idea.
Practice
The embassy says that all supporting documents must be submitted ______.
Choose one answer.
'In duplicate' is the fixed phrase meaning two identical copies. 'In duplication' is not used this way, and 'for' or 'by duplicate' do not form the established expression.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “submit in duplicate”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.