dope

1 of 3

noun

1
informal : a stupid person
I think fast drivers are dopes.Randy Wayne White
… people are promised windfall profits from can't-miss investments—to be paid, when they are paid at all, only out of money collected from subsequent dopes and dupes.David Margolick
2
informal
a
: an illicit drug (such as heroin or cocaine) used for its intoxicating or euphoric effects
especially : marijuana
smoking dope
b
: a preparation (such as an anabolic steroid, diuretic, or tranquilizer) given to a racehorse to help or hinder its performance
3
informal : information especially from a reliable source
the inside dope on a celebrity's new romance
4
a
: a thick liquid or pasty preparation
Apply a small amount of pipe dope or Teflon tape to the threads of the adapter …Michael J. McGroarty
b
: a preparation for giving a desired quality to a substance or surface
She … would also glue the canvas over the frames of the planes and then use "dope," a special type of lacquer to harden the body of the plane.The Washington (Indiana) Times-Herald
c
: absorbent or adsorbent material used in various manufacturing processes (such as the making of dynamite)
A dynamite's strength and its water resistance are determined by the dopes—the particular dry ingredients that are combined with the nitroglycerin.Bryan Di Salvatore
5
chiefly Southern US : a cola drink

dope

2 of 3

verb

doped; doping

transitive verb

1
informal
a
: to give a narcotic or intoxicating drug to
It was only when doped with scopolamine that he got any rest.Robert McAlmon and Kay Boyle
b
: to surreptitiously put a sedating drug into
What does the murder have to do with the phone-date service he was investigating when someone doped his drink?Marilyn Stasio
c
: to administer a drug to (a horse) to help or hinder performance in a race
Francis rode a doped horse once. The animal … ran right through the first hurdle, throwing Francis, and veered off into the woods nearby, where it was finally captured hours later.Bill Barich
2
informal : figure out
usually used with out
The following day I returned and spent some time trying to dope out the trails the deer was using.John Weiss
It's hard to dope out what, exactly, flavors the lemony, faintly soyish marinade that powers the excellent barbecued chicken …Sam Sifton
3
: to treat with dope or a dopant
The airfoil leading edge and ribs are fiberglass moldings, and the skin, as on early airplanes, is fabric doped to drum-tightness.David Scott
We developed a method to dope semiconductor nanocrystals with metal impurities, enabling control of the band gap …David Mocatta et al.

intransitive verb

1
informal : to take an intoxicating drug
2
informal : to use a performance-enhancing substance typically banned for use in sports
A week after that surreal scene, Danish hero Bjarne Riis admitted that he'd doped to win the 1996 Tour France Riis …Austin Murphy

dope

3 of 3

adjective

slang
: excellent
used as a generalized term of approval

Examples of dope in a Sentence

Noun They were caught smoking dope. What a dope he is. Verb They tried to dope him. Adjective That movie was so dope. Check out this dope new song.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Because in a town like Victor, every fly fisherman is a junkie, every tier a supplier, and word gets around about who has the best dope. Dac Collins, Outdoor Life, 25 Sep. 2024 Here are 10 acts not to miss, with some inside dope on the indispensable side players. Andrew Gilbert, The Mercury News, 24 Sep. 2024
Verb
French soccer player Paul Pogba’s doping suspension has been cut from four years to 18 months, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) said on Friday. Julien Pretot, Reuters, 4 Oct. 2024 The recent controversy over Jack Sinner’s escape from a doping censure certainly highlighted disparity. Tim Ellis, Forbes, 1 Oct. 2024
Adjective
Being able to foster collective reading with people who are incarcerated, as well as people on the outside, has been really dope. Christopher Soto, Los Angeles Times, 15 Aug. 2024 In retrospect, their wardrobe choices were also quite dope, too. Eliot Glazer, Vulture, 12 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dope 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dope.' 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

Dutch doop sauce, from dopen to dip; akin to Old English dyppan to dip

First Known Use

Noun

1786, in the meaning defined at sense 4a

Verb

1889, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 3

Adjective

1981, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of dope was in 1786

Dictionary Entries Near dope

Cite this Entry

“Dope.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dope. Accessed 15 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

dope

1 of 2 noun
1
: a thick sticky material (as one used to make pipe joints tight)
2
informal : an illegal, habit-forming, or narcotic drug
especially : marijuana
3
informal : a stupid person
4
informal : information especially from a reliable source

dope

2 of 2 verb
doped; doping
informal
1
: to treat or affect with dope
especially : to give a narcotic to
2
: find out
usually used with out

Medical Definition

dope

1 of 2 noun
1
a
: a preparation of an illicit, habit-forming, or narcotic drug (as opium, heroin, or marijuana)
b
: a preparation given to a racehorse to help or hinder its performance
2
: a narcotic addict

dope

2 of 2 verb
doped; doping

transitive verb

: to give a narcotic to

intransitive verb

: to take dope

More from Merriam-Webster on dope

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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