doctorate

noun

doc·​tor·​ate ˈdäk-t(ə-)rət How to pronounce doctorate (audio)
: the degree, title, or rank of a doctor

Examples of doctorate in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Last year, classes about Swift’s songwriting and legacy thrilled Swifties at the University of Texas at Austin, Queen’s University in Ontario, Canada, and New York University — where Swift received her honorary doctorate alongside the class of 2022. Terry Castleman, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023 His owner, a shepherd, that lived in La Crosse, Wisconsin, had obtained his dogs’ doctorate by the usual $10 mail order check routine. Rory Feehan, SPIN, 9 Nov. 2023 Ly Tran, 34, who taught hospitality at a Ho Chi Minh City university before moving to Portugal to study for a doctorate in tourism, was with her Portuguese partner visiting Hon Thom — the small, private island owned by Sun Group where the Phu Quoc cable car leads to a sprawling water park. Patrick Scott, New York Times, 25 Oct. 2023 Later that year, Swift herself showed up at NYU’s commencement ceremony to accept an honorary doctorate degree and deliver a speech to the graduates. Hannah Dailey, Billboard, 1 Nov. 2023 Between 2017 and 2022, the agency said that 78% of Grand Canyon students who graduated with doctorates needed five or six three-credit courses. Marley Jay, NBC News, 31 Oct. 2023 With a doctorate in geophysics, Schneider has been helping to make the invisible visible for scientists and engineers for almost three decades at Scientific American, American Scientist, and for the last 15 years, IEEE Spectrum. IEEE Spectrum, 3 Oct. 2023 Fisher, who currently serves on the nonprofit’s board of directors, has received five honorary doctorate degrees, authored six books and is credited with being an outspoken HIV/AIDS activist for the prevention, education and compassionate treatment of people with the disease. Chris Gardner, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2023 Groen earned a bachelor of arts in English literature and philosophy from Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and a juris doctorate from Indiana University’s Bloomington College of Law in Bloomington, Indiana. Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'doctorate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1570, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of doctorate was in 1570

Dictionary Entries Near doctorate

Cite this Entry

“Doctorate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doctorate. Accessed 4 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

doctorate

noun
doc·​tor·​ate ˈdäk-t(ə-)rət How to pronounce doctorate (audio)
: the degree, title, or rank of a doctor

More from Merriam-Webster on doctorate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!