doctor
Americannoun
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doctors
plural
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a person licensed to practice medicine, as a physician, surgeon, dentist, or veterinarian.
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a person who has been awarded a doctor's degree.
He is a Doctor of Philosophy.
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Older Slang. a cook, as at a camp or on a ship.
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Machinery. any of various minor mechanical devices, especially one designed to remedy an undesirable characteristic of an automatic process.
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Angling. any of several artificial flies, especially the silver doctor.
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an eminent scholar and teacher.
verb (used with object)
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doctors,
present (3rd person singular)
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doctored,
past participle, past
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doctoring
present participle
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to give medical treatment to; act as a physician to.
He feels he can doctor himself for just a common cold.
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to treat (an ailment); apply remedies to.
He doctored his cold at home.
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to restore to original or working condition; repair; mend.
She was able to doctor the chipped vase with a little plastic cement.
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to tamper with; falsify.
He doctored the birthdate on his passport.
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to add a foreign substance to; adulterate.
Someone had doctored the drink.
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to revise, alter, or adapt (a photograph, manuscript, etc.) in order to serve a specific purpose or to improve the material.
to doctor a play.
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to award a doctorate to.
He did his undergraduate work in the U.S. and was doctored at Oxford.
verb (used without object)
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doctors,
present (3rd person singular)
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doctored,
past participle, past
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doctoring
present participle
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to practice medicine.
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Older Use. to take medicine; receive medical treatment.
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Metallurgy. (of an article being electroplated) to receive plating unevenly.
noun
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a person licensed to practise medicine
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a person who has been awarded a higher academic degree in any field of knowledge
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a person licensed to practise dentistry or veterinary medicine
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Also called: Doctor of the Church. (often capital) a title given to any of several of the leading Fathers or theologians in the history of the Christian Church down to the late Middle Ages whose teachings have greatly influenced orthodox Christian thought
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angling any of various gaudy artificial flies
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informal a person who mends or repairs things
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slang a cook on a ship or at a camp
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archaic a man, esp a teacher, of learning
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a device used for local repair of electroplated surfaces, consisting of an anode of the plating material embedded in an absorbent material containing the solution
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(in a paper-making machine) a blade that is set to scrape the roller in order to regulate the thickness of pulp or ink on it
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a cool sea breeze blowing in some countries
the Cape doctor
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slang to make a great effort or move very fast, esp in a horse race
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something needed or desired
verb
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(tr)
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to give medical treatment to
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to prescribe for (a disease or disorder)
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informal (intr) to practise medicine
he doctored in Easter Island for six years
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(tr) to repair or mend, esp in a makeshift manner
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(tr) to make different in order to deceive, tamper with, falsify, or adulterate
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(tr) to adapt for a desired end, effect, etc
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(tr) to castrate (a cat, dog, etc)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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doctorshipnoun
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subdoctornoun
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superdoctornoun
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underdoctornoun
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doctoraladjective
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doctorialadjective
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doctorlessadjective
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undoctoredadjective
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doctorallyadverb
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doctoriallyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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doctorsimple
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doctorssimple
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have doctoredperfect
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has doctoredperfect
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am doctoringprogressive
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are doctoringprogressive
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is doctoringprogressive
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have been doctoringperfect progressive
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has been doctoringperfect progressive
Past
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doctoredsimple
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had doctoredperfect
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was doctoringprogressive
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were doctoringprogressive
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had been doctoringperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of doctor
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English docto(u)r, from Anglo-French, from Latin, from doc(ēre) “to teach” + -tor -tor
Explanation
You see doctor, and you think of someone doing good — like the medical doctor who saves lives. However, a person who doctors or tampers with a document is adding something wrong or harmful to it, like a lie. Doctor is the Latin word for "teacher," which makes sense since your doctor is often the one teaching you about how to take care of your body. Anyone who has a PhD, be it in English or Egyptology, is also referred to as a doctor because she holds a doctorate degree. But beware, there's also a market out there for doctored, or tampered-with diplomas, where you can buy a fake degree to call yourself a doctor.
Vocabulary lists containing doctor
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The workers traveled to Russia in groups, accompanied by a director, cook, interpreter, doctor and a foreman, she said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026
It is hard to go to a doctor these days without being asked to sign up for a patient portal.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Unfortunately, a growing majority of Americans cannot afford the luxury of a primary-care doctor, now in short supply, let alone prescription medications that are proven safe and effective.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Even if I were a doctor, I wouldn’t be able to diagnose him via random clips on the internet.
From Salon ● Sep. 17, 2026
The doctor who treats Phineas decides he has too much blood and draws off the "extra."
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
He consulted with an array of doctors throughout the Central Valley and interviewed county officials, often hitting dead ends the moment he uttered “union” or “farmworkers.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026
The explanations from ChatGPT are so much better than what the medical doctors tell you.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 17, 2026
Patients, of course, who will order these cheaper, unproven products via an 800-number or the internet, skipping appointments with real doctors who can provide accurate diagnoses and proven treatments.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
Klopp also said it was more important that the country had enough doctors and caregivers but said football can "foster a sense of community, so that people can truly feel the power of sport".
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
The following evening, the three doctors met the two sisters for a series of examinations.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
According to the lawsuit and subsequent discovery, they doctored a 911 report, stating that the call was unfounded and that no suspect was identified, omitting Williams’ identity.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 14, 2026
His doctored image has appeared in social-media posts depicting him in a Norman Rockwell painting and as the New England Patriots head coach.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 8, 2026
"Some of my friends have seen doctored images of themselves which look really convincing," she said.
From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2026
The former prince, who has always denied any wrongdoing, has previously questioned whether the picture had been doctored and claimed he had never met Giuffre.
From BBC ● Feb. 4, 2026
After Mama burned him, Papi said a captain in the merchant marines took pity on him and doctored his papers so they’d say he was injured during an explosion on board.
From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García
“Back then, they had 30 cowboys who rode every day, seven days a week, doctoring cattle. I’ve got five,” the younger Nieto said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 12, 2026
Fifa, the world football governing body, has accused FAM of doctoring citizenship documents so seven foreign-born athletes could play for Malaysia.
From BBC ● Jan. 28, 2026
The clinic note is a vital part of doctoring.
From Slate ● Aug. 19, 2025
In the fall of 2023, fans speculated that the singer was doctoring her Instagram pictures, including those of her and DDG’s Halloween costumes and those from the “Color Purple” premiere in Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 8, 2024
I wasn’t done doctoring, but Karl was done being a patient.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
