doctor

1 of 2

noun

doc·​tor ˈdäk-tər How to pronounce doctor (audio)
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.
d
: a person awarded an honorary doctorate (such as an LLD or Litt D) by a college or university
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
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
doctoral adjective
doctorless adjective
doctorship noun

doctor

2 of 2

verb

doctored; doctoring ˈdäk-t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce doctor (audio)

transitive verb

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.

intransitive verb

1
: to practice medicine
a career doctoring in the country
2
dialect : to take medicine

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
Noun
Board records list Murad as a family medicine doctor. My Ly, arkansasonline.com, 24 Oct. 2024 That prompted various conversations between Johnson East and doctors. Bruce Y. Lee, Forbes, 23 Oct. 2024
Verb
Matty has the clerk snap a pic of her 5-foot-1 self reaching for the same condoms Michael seemingly did, and that photo ends up proving in court that the footage was doctored, and Michael was never there. Matt Webb Mitovich, TVLine, 17 Oct. 2024 However, the photo was doctored and Harris was actually posing with her ex Montel Williams and his daughter Ashley at the 2001 Race to Erase Multiple Sclerosis. Rania Aniftos, Billboard, 20 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for doctor 

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

Dictionary Entries Near doctor

Cite this Entry

“Doctor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doctor. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

doctor

1 of 2 noun
doc·​tor ˈdäk-tər How to pronounce doctor (audio)
1
: a person holding one of the highest degrees (as a PhD) given by a university
2
: a person (as a physician, dentist, or veterinarian) skilled and specializing in the art of healing
doctoral adjective

doctor

2 of 2 verb
doctored; doctoring -t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce doctor (audio)
1
a
: to give medical treatment to
b
: to practice medicine
c
: to bring back to good condition : repair
doctor an old clock
2
: to tamper with
doctored the video footage
Etymology

Noun

Middle English doctour "doctor, teacher," from early French doctour and Latin doctor (both, same meaning), from earlier Latin doctor "teacher," from docēre "to teach" — related to docile, doctrine

Medical Definition

doctor

1 of 2 noun
doc·​tor ˈdäk-tər How to pronounce doctor (audio)
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 How to pronounce doctor (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to give medical treatment to
2
: castrate sense 1, spay
have your pet cat doctored

intransitive verb

: to practice medicine

More from Merriam-Webster on doctor

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!