dote

verb

doted; doting

intransitive verb

1
: to exhibit mental decline of or like that of old age : be in one's dotage
2
: to be lavish or excessive in one's attention, fondness, or affection
usually used with on
doted on her only grandchild
doter noun
dotingly adverb

Examples of dote in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web But don't dote, and don't visit every other weekend. Bill Goodykoontz, The Arizona Republic, 7 Sep. 2023 Prince Harry is a veteran, advocate and one doting dad to Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet. Janine Henni, Peoplemag, 30 Aug. 2023 His development into a functional, joyful and — yes — employable adult is largely the result of a doting family with the resources to access the best treatment and the contacts to provide rare opportunities. Steve Henson, Los Angeles Times, 27 Aug. 2023 So turned inside-out by his father’s doting attentions, when Jan harshly humiliates one of his Indonesian servants, the little boy laughs in glee. Jessica Kiang, Variety, 25 Aug. 2023 The doting father and his ex-wife divorced in 2015 but continued to battle in court over finances and custody of their twins until his death. Rebecca Rosenberg, Fox News, 17 Aug. 2023 The couple decided to share their joyful news in a video announcement on Instagram, filmed by the doting husband and NFL star, during their fabulous anniversary trip to Japan just last month. Dominique Fluker, Essence, 8 Aug. 2023 Now, Whitney is the co-owner of a jewelry company called Shop the WM, a lifestyle blogger with a blog called The BFF blog with her best friend Mariel Swan, a reality TV star, and of course a doting wife and mother. Maggie Horton, Country Living, 6 Aug. 2023 Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, Gregory Corso and the gang doted on the little girl who played Bach for them. Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 2023 See More

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

Middle English; akin to Middle Low German dotten to be foolish

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dote was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near dote

Cite this Entry

“Dote.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dote. Accessed 27 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

dote

verb
doted; doting
: to be excessive in one's attention or fondness
usually used with on
doted on their grandchild
dotingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on dote

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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