dupe
dupe Lexical Profile
dupe Game Scores & Validity
• noun
A duplicate or copy, especially a less expensive product that closely resembles a high-end designer item, or a duplicate photographic print or negative.
"She found an affordable drugstore dupe that matched the luxury lipstick shade almost identically."
A person who is easily deceived, tricked, or manipulated into serving the interests of others.
"The unwitting courier realized too late that he had been used as a dupe in the financial scheme."
• verb
To deceive, trick, or mislead someone into believing something false or acting against their own interests.
"The fraudulent emails were carefully designed to dupe unsuspecting customers into revealing their passwords."
To duplicate or make an exact copy of something (especially a recording, photograph, or digital item).
"The archivist needed to dupe the fragile master tapes before making them available to researchers."
Word Nuance & Usage
'Dupe' represents two etymologically distinct words: the standard term for a gullible victim or the act of deceiving, and an informal clipping of 'duplicate' widely used in consumer and photography contexts for an affordable replica or copy.
• Rhymes for dupe
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the late 17th century from French dupe ('gullible person'), which derives from Old French huppe ('hoopoe'), a crested bird proverbially regarded in folklore as easily trapped and foolish. The informal sense meaning 'duplicate' arose separately in the late 19th century as a shortened form.