1
a
Christianity
: an eminent theologian declared a sound expounder of doctrine by the Roman Catholic Church
called also doctor of the church
b
: a learned or authoritative teacher
c
: a person who has earned one of the highest academic degrees (such as a PhD) conferred by a university
Most of the college's faculty members are doctors in their fields.
The class is being taught by Doctor Menzer.
2
a
: a person skilled or specializing in healing arts
especially
: one (such as a physician, dentist, or veterinarian) who holds an advanced degree and is licensed to practice
See your doctor if the condition worsens.
an eye doctor
doctors' bills
b
3
a
: material added (as to food) to produce a desired effect
b
: a blade (as of metal) for spreading a coating or scraping a surface
4
: a person who restores, repairs, or fine-tunes things
doctored; doctoring
ˈdäk-t(ə-)riŋ 
1
a
: to give medical treatment to
doctored her ailing husband
b
: to restore to good condition : repair
doctor an old clock
2
a
: to adapt or modify for a desired end by alteration or special treatment
doctored the play to suit the audience
The drink was doctored.
b
: to alter deceptively
accused of doctoring the election returns
The pitcher tried to cheat by doctoring the baseball.
1
: to practice medicine
a career doctoring in the country
2
dialect
: to take medicine
Synonyms
Examples of doctor in a Sentence
Noun
He needed medicine but refused to go to a doctor.
She was under doctor's orders not to return to work.
I saw her at the doctor's last week.
How long will you be at the doctor?
Most of the faculty members at this college are doctors in their fields.
Dr. Smith, can you explain the exam requirements again?
Verb
They were accused of doctoring the company's financial records.
a doctored photo of the actress
I think somebody doctored the punch.
He had time to doctor his wounds.
She doctored the sick child until the physician arrived.
Recent Examples on the Web
Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
Ukraine survived the assault thanks to Western air defense systems and energy-saving measures taken by its citizens, as families cooked on camping stoves and doctors performed surgery by flashlight.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Sometimes the President puts on sunglasses and stands in a half column, pondering levels of reality, but Fletcher’s mad doctor always lures him back, away from contemplation.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
As a result, doctors are having to think hard about when and whether to start treatment with a drug in short supply.
—Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 13 Apr. 2024
Kling wanted to be induced and deliver her third child with her doctor in Black River Falls.
—Jessica Van Egeren, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
Why Indiana is unlikely to do the same Based on the data, Indiana residents have 0.3 marijuana retailers per 100,000 residents and 0.0 medical cannabis doctors per 100,000.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Apr. 2024
The shop is down the street from a complex of doctor’s offices, including UC Davis Health’s Midtown Ambulatory Care Center on Folsom Boulevard.
—Savanna Smith, Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024
While people in jail get billed $25 for being booked and $15 per doctor’s visit, many low-income inmates don’t pay.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
In findings published this week in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a team of three scientists doctored the snakes’ own scents and observed whether the creatures recognized—and were curious about—the change.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
This easy dessert starts by doctoring up a box of cake mix with buttermilk and lemon zest.
—Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2024
It's rumored that British tabloids don't usually publish paparazzi photos of the royals without express permission, so some suspected that this image was fed to the outlet by royal staff and that it, too, had been doctored.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024
There’ve been instances in the past where doctored photos of high-profile figures have been widely circulated on the internet, without their veracity being checked.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 11 Mar. 2024
The image has a range of clear visual inconsistencies that suggest it was doctored.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
But outlets including Agence France-Presse, Reuters and the Associated Press pointed to a misaligned sleeve and hand as evidence the photo had been doctored.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
The Kate photo debacle is only the beginning of media mistrust
Editing photos isn’t a novel concept; the royal family for decades has been doctoring photos of themselves to keep up their pristine façade.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
Fifty-one obstetricians left Idaho in the year after its strict ban could be enforced, leaving half of the state's counties without doctors trained to care for women during pregnancy and childbirth, according to The Associated Press.
—Stacey Barchenger, The Arizona Republic, 14 Apr. 2024
Ukraine survived the assault thanks to Western air defense systems and energy-saving measures taken by its citizens, as families cooked on camping stoves and doctors performed surgery by flashlight.
—Christian Edwards, CNN, 14 Apr. 2024
Sometimes the President puts on sunglasses and stands in a half column, pondering levels of reality, but Fletcher’s mad doctor always lures him back, away from contemplation.
—Helen Shaw, The New Yorker, 13 Apr. 2024
As a result, doctors are having to think hard about when and whether to start treatment with a drug in short supply.
—Samanth Subramanian, Quartz, 13 Apr. 2024
Kling wanted to be induced and deliver her third child with her doctor in Black River Falls.
—Jessica Van Egeren, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
Why Indiana is unlikely to do the same Based on the data, Indiana residents have 0.3 marijuana retailers per 100,000 residents and 0.0 medical cannabis doctors per 100,000.
—Marina Johnson, The Indianapolis Star, 12 Apr. 2024
The shop is down the street from a complex of doctor’s offices, including UC Davis Health’s Midtown Ambulatory Care Center on Folsom Boulevard.
—Savanna Smith, Sacramento Bee, 12 Apr. 2024
While people in jail get billed $25 for being booked and $15 per doctor’s visit, many low-income inmates don’t pay.
—Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
Jennifer also doctored an acceptance letter from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University).
—Jessica Sager, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
In findings published this week in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, a team of three scientists doctored the snakes’ own scents and observed whether the creatures recognized—and were curious about—the change.
—Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Apr. 2024
This easy dessert starts by doctoring up a box of cake mix with buttermilk and lemon zest.
—Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 Mar. 2024
It's rumored that British tabloids don't usually publish paparazzi photos of the royals without express permission, so some suspected that this image was fed to the outlet by royal staff and that it, too, had been doctored.
—Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 14 Mar. 2024
There’ve been instances in the past where doctored photos of high-profile figures have been widely circulated on the internet, without their veracity being checked.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 11 Mar. 2024
The image has a range of clear visual inconsistencies that suggest it was doctored.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
But outlets including Agence France-Presse, Reuters and the Associated Press pointed to a misaligned sleeve and hand as evidence the photo had been doctored.
—Brian Fung, CNN, 11 Mar. 2024
The Kate photo debacle is only the beginning of media mistrust
Editing photos isn’t a novel concept; the royal family for decades has been doctoring photos of themselves to keep up their pristine façade.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'doctor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun and Verb
Middle English doctour teacher, doctor, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin doctor, from Latin, teacher, from docēre to teach — more at docile
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
1712, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a
Time Traveler
The first known use of doctor was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing doctor
Dictionary Entries Near doctor
Cite this Entry
“Doctor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doctor. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
Medical Definition
doctor
1 of 2 noun
doc·tor
ˈdäk-tər
1
: a person skilled or specializing in healing arts
especially
: one (as a physician, dentist, or veterinarian) who holds an advanced degree and is licensed to practice
2
a
: a person who has earned one of the highest academic degrees (as a PhD) conferred by a university
b
: a person awarded an honorary doctorate by a college or university
doctor
2 of 2 verb
doctored; doctoring
-t(ə-)riŋ
1
: to give medical treatment to
2
: castrate sense 1, spay
have your pet cat doctored
: to practice medicine
More from Merriam-Webster on doctor
Nglish: Translation of doctor for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of doctor for Arabic Speakers
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share