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
Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 2 Apr. 2024
That player is pulled off the field, and a doctor conducts an assessment.
—Jeffrey Tomik, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Some doctors are prescribing testosterone to treat these symptoms of menopause, though the FDA has not approved a product for this use, in large part because there isn’t a lot of supporting research data yet.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
An Orange County doctor charged with poisoning her husband with Drano now faces allegations in her upcoming divorce proceedings and criminal case of trying to coach her children to lie about their father.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Written by two British doctors, the article summarizes the plot of the original play and then examines three real-life cases in which something similar occurred.
—Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Felicity Huffman has booked a promising role in an upcoming major series: The actress will be a guest star in the next season of Paramount+’s Criminal Minds spinoff Evolution, playing a doctor with deep connections to other lead characters in the franchise.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2024
Some consumers covered by Affordable Care Act insurance plans are being switched from one plan to another without their express permission, potentially leaving them unable to see their doctors or fill prescriptions.
—Julie Appleby, NPR, 1 Apr. 2024
To stop the bleeding, a doctor, who had no access to antiseptic or anesthesia, heated the blade of a kitchen knife and cauterized the wound.
—Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024
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
That seemed to be the lesson after another day of internet-breaking rumors and conspiracy theories swirling around Catherine, Princess of Wales, who apologized on Monday for having doctored a photograph of herself with her three children that circulated on news sites and social media on Sunday.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
If, in fact, the image of the princess with her kids was doctored or manipulated, the irony of the situation could be hard to shake off as it was meant to resist rumors.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 11 Mar. 2024
During training and throughout our primary care careers thus far, being on call has just come with the territory of doctoring.
—Jeffrey Millstein and Jeffrey Tokazewski, STAT, 22 Feb. 2024
Planned Parenthood Great Plains said the Project Veritas video was filmed without the staff’s knowledge or consent and had been heavily doctored and edited.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 29 Feb. 2024
To promote Her Loss, Savage and Drake doctored a parody Vogue cover of them that led the magazine's publisher to take legal action — to the tune of a $4 million lawsuit — with the two rappers settling for an undisclosed sum.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Jan. 2024
Noun
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
That player is pulled off the field, and a doctor conducts an assessment.
—Jeffrey Tomik, Washington Post, 2 Apr. 2024
Some doctors are prescribing testosterone to treat these symptoms of menopause, though the FDA has not approved a product for this use, in large part because there isn’t a lot of supporting research data yet.
—Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Apr. 2024
An Orange County doctor charged with poisoning her husband with Drano now faces allegations in her upcoming divorce proceedings and criminal case of trying to coach her children to lie about their father.
—Noah Goldberg, Los Angeles Times, 2 Apr. 2024
Written by two British doctors, the article summarizes the plot of the original play and then examines three real-life cases in which something similar occurred.
—Leslie Jamison, The New Yorker, 1 Apr. 2024
Felicity Huffman has booked a promising role in an upcoming major series: The actress will be a guest star in the next season of Paramount+’s Criminal Minds spinoff Evolution, playing a doctor with deep connections to other lead characters in the franchise.
—James Hibberd, The Hollywood Reporter, 1 Apr. 2024
Some consumers covered by Affordable Care Act insurance plans are being switched from one plan to another without their express permission, potentially leaving them unable to see their doctors or fill prescriptions.
—Julie Appleby, NPR, 1 Apr. 2024
To stop the bleeding, a doctor, who had no access to antiseptic or anesthesia, heated the blade of a kitchen knife and cauterized the wound.
—Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024
Verb
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
That seemed to be the lesson after another day of internet-breaking rumors and conspiracy theories swirling around Catherine, Princess of Wales, who apologized on Monday for having doctored a photograph of herself with her three children that circulated on news sites and social media on Sunday.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024
If, in fact, the image of the princess with her kids was doctored or manipulated, the irony of the situation could be hard to shake off as it was meant to resist rumors.
—Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 11 Mar. 2024
During training and throughout our primary care careers thus far, being on call has just come with the territory of doctoring.
—Jeffrey Millstein and Jeffrey Tokazewski, STAT, 22 Feb. 2024
Planned Parenthood Great Plains said the Project Veritas video was filmed without the staff’s knowledge or consent and had been heavily doctored and edited.
—Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 29 Feb. 2024
To promote Her Loss, Savage and Drake doctored a parody Vogue cover of them that led the magazine's publisher to take legal action — to the tune of a $4 million lawsuit — with the two rappers settling for an undisclosed sum.
—Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Jan. 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 16 Apr. 2024.
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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
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