1
a
: the measured quantity of a therapeutic agent to be taken at one time
b
: the quantity of radiation administered or absorbed
2
: a portion of a substance added during a process
3
: an amount of something likened to a prescribed or measured quantity of medicine
a daily dose of hard work
a dose of scandal
4
: a gonorrheal infection
dosed; dosing
1
: to give a dose to
especially
: to give medicine to
2
: to divide into doses
dose a medicine
3
: to treat with an application or agent
Examples of dose in a Sentence
Noun
I've been taking the same dose for five years.
a large dose of vitamin C
The drug is lethal even in small doses.
a large dose of sugar
a high dose of radiation
Her parents hoped a daily dose of hard work would keep her out of trouble.
He needs a good dose of reality.
Verb
Most patients are dosed at 50 milligrams per day.
Recent Examples on the Web
Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
At Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, the emergency room staff determined her blood sugar was low and gave her a dose of dextrose, which revived her.
—Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Moderna said the lack of demand for vaccine doses in Africa has led to more than $1 billion in losses and write-downs.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 12 Apr. 2024
At this dose, both Gosseries and Carhart-Harris said an awakening was theoretically possible.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2024
The highly addictive synthetic opioid is illegally sold in various forms including counterfeit pills that look like prescription drugs, and can be fatal in small doses.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
The study found that just over half of adolescents in the United States have received two or more doses of the vaccine.
—Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 7 Apr. 2024
The risk of health impacts from PFAS is determined by exposure factors like dose, frequency, and duration, as well as individual factors like sensitivity or disease burden, according to the federal agency.
—Lee Hedgepeth, WIRED, 6 Apr. 2024
White wine vinegar and Dijon mustard provide a good dose of acidity, while the bacon grease adds a hint of smoky savoriness, all joining forces to become dressing that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Carol Lee, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
The myth of Michael was that his father dosed him with hormones to preserve his boyhood vocal pitch.
—Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Note also that professionals recommend dosing Benadryl by weight instead of age, as this product is specifically for kids over 50 pounds.
—Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 29 Feb. 2024
To dose the first volunteer, doctors threaded a thin, flexible tube with a camera on the end down the patient’s throat and through the digestive tract.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
The first officer allowed the captain to take a nap and then dosed off himself, later attributing his sleepiness to helping take care of his one-month-old twins at home.
—Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024
Safeguards against infection and milder illness start to fade within months, leaving people who dose up in autumn potentially more susceptible to exposures by spring.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024
The pump’s algorithm does the rest, automatically dosing him every five minutes.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 28 Feb. 2024
One study, for instance, found that, just like people, nematode worms dosed with cannabis get the munchies.
—Jesse Greenspan, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024
Noun
The aforementioned vitamin C content, when taken in appropriate doses, offers a slew of potential benefits including lessening common cold symptoms, promoting heart health and making collagen, an essential protein in making the body's connective tissue, research has shown.
—Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY, 14 Apr. 2024
At Swedish Medical Center in Englewood, the emergency room staff determined her blood sugar was low and gave her a dose of dextrose, which revived her.
—Meg Wingerter, The Denver Post, 14 Apr. 2024
Moderna said the lack of demand for vaccine doses in Africa has led to more than $1 billion in losses and write-downs.
—Damian Garde, STAT, 12 Apr. 2024
At this dose, both Gosseries and Carhart-Harris said an awakening was theoretically possible.
—Cheri Lucas Rowlands, Longreads, 9 Apr. 2024
The highly addictive synthetic opioid is illegally sold in various forms including counterfeit pills that look like prescription drugs, and can be fatal in small doses.
—Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Apr. 2024
The study found that just over half of adolescents in the United States have received two or more doses of the vaccine.
—Sarah Lapidus, The Arizona Republic, 7 Apr. 2024
The risk of health impacts from PFAS is determined by exposure factors like dose, frequency, and duration, as well as individual factors like sensitivity or disease burden, according to the federal agency.
—Lee Hedgepeth, WIRED, 6 Apr. 2024
White wine vinegar and Dijon mustard provide a good dose of acidity, while the bacon grease adds a hint of smoky savoriness, all joining forces to become dressing that’s greater than the sum of its parts.
—Aaron Hutcherson, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
But, dosing too high too quickly can cause unintended side effects.
—Carol Lee, Discover Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
The myth of Michael was that his father dosed him with hormones to preserve his boyhood vocal pitch.
—Harmony Holiday, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Note also that professionals recommend dosing Benadryl by weight instead of age, as this product is specifically for kids over 50 pounds.
—Laura Lu, Ms, Parents, 29 Feb. 2024
To dose the first volunteer, doctors threaded a thin, flexible tube with a camera on the end down the patient’s throat and through the digestive tract.
—Emily Mullin, WIRED, 2 Apr. 2024
The first officer allowed the captain to take a nap and then dosed off himself, later attributing his sleepiness to helping take care of his one-month-old twins at home.
—Ryan Erik King / Jalopnik, Quartz, 12 Mar. 2024
Safeguards against infection and milder illness start to fade within months, leaving people who dose up in autumn potentially more susceptible to exposures by spring.
—Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 28 Feb. 2024
The pump’s algorithm does the rest, automatically dosing him every five minutes.
—Elizabeth B. Kim, The Enquirer, 28 Feb. 2024
One study, for instance, found that, just like people, nematode worms dosed with cannabis get the munchies.
—Jesse Greenspan, Scientific American, 20 Feb. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dose.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near dose
Cite this Entry
“Dose.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dose. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
dose
1 of 2 noun1
a
: the measured amount of a medicine to be taken at one time
b
: the quantity of radiation given or absorbed
2
: a portion of a substance added during a process
3
: an experience to which one is exposed
a dose of hard work
dose
2 of 2 verb
dosed; dosing
1
: to give medicine to
2
: to treat with something
Medical Definition
dose
1 of 2 noun1
a
: the measured quantity of a therapeutic agent to be taken at one time
b
: the quantity of radiation administered or absorbed
2
: a gonorrheal infection
dose
2 of 2 verb
dosed; dosing
1
: to divide (as a medicine) into doses
2
: to give a dose to
especially
: to give medicine to
3
: to treat with an application or agent
: to take medicine
he is forever dosing but he gets worse
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share