dope
dope Lexical Profile
dope Game Scores & Validity
• adjective
Excellent, stylish, or very impressive (slang).
"The band played a dope set at the music festival last night."
• noun
An illegal narcotic or recreational drug, especially marijuana or heroin (informal).
"The customs officers searched the cargo ship for smuggled dope."
A foolish, silly, or stupid person (informal).
"I felt like a complete dope when I realized I had locked my keys inside the car."
Inside information, news, or details about a particular situation (informal).
"Reporters gathered around the press secretary to get the inside dope on the upcoming trade agreement."
A thick liquid, varnish, or pasty preparation used as a lubricant, sealant, or protective coating (especially in aviation and plumbing).
"The mechanic applied pipe dope to the threads to ensure a watertight seal."
• verb
To administer drugs to a person or animal in order to inhibit or enhance sporting performance, or to sedate them.
"The racing commission disqualified the trainer after discovering an attempt to dope the horse."
To intentionally introduce a trace impurity into an extremely pure semiconductor in order to modulate its electrical properties.
"Engineers dope the silicon wafer with phosphorus to create a negatively charged semiconductor layer."
To apply a thick liquid, varnish, or sealant to a surface or fabric.
"Early aircraft builders had to dope the canvas wings to make them taut and weatherproof."
• Rhymes for dope
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the early 19th century from Dutch 'doop', meaning 'thick dipping sauce or gravy', derived from the verb 'dopen' ('to dip'). The term evolved from describing viscous lubricants and opium preparations to general narcotics, doped racehorses, and eventually someone acting sluggishly under their influence.
Usage Trend
Historical frequency of usage in published text.