dose
Americannoun
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a quantity of medicine prescribed to be taken at one time.
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a substance, situation, or quantity of anything analogous to medicine, especially of something disagreeable.
Failing the exam was a hard dose to swallow.
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an amount of sugar added in the production of champagne.
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Physics.
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Also called absorbed dose. the quantity of ionizing radiation absorbed by a unit mass of matter, especially living tissue, measured in grays: although increasingly disfavored, in the U.S. an absorbed dose may still be measured in rads.
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Slang. a case of gonorrhea or syphilis.
verb (used with object)
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to administer in or apportion for doses.
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to give a dose of medicine to.
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to add sugar to (champagne) during production.
verb (used without object)
noun
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med a specific quantity of a therapeutic drug or agent taken at any one time or at specified intervals
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informal something unpleasant to experience
a dose of influenza
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Also called: dosage. the total energy of ionizing radiation absorbed by unit mass of material, esp of living tissue; usually measured in grays (SI unit) or rads
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Also called: dosage. a small amount of syrup added to wine, esp sparkling wine, when the sediment is removed and the bottle is corked
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slang a venereal infection, esp gonorrhoea
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very quickly indeed
verb
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to administer a dose or doses to (someone)
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med to give (a therapeutic drug or agent) in appropriate quantities
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(often foll by up) to give (someone, esp oneself) drugs, medicine, etc, esp in large quantities
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to add syrup to (wine) during bottling
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has dosedperfect 3rd person singular
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have dosedperfect
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have been dosingperfect progressive
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are dosingprogressive
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is dosingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am dosingprogressive 1st person singular
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dosessingular 3rd person
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has been dosingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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dosingparticiple
Past
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had dosedperfect
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had been dosingperfect progressive
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dosedparticiple
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was dosingprogressive singular
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were dosingprogressive plural
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dosedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of dose
First recorded in 1590–1600; French , from Late Latin dosis, from Greek dósis “a giving, gift,” derivative of didónai “to give”
Explanation
A dose is the amount of medicine you're supposed to take. A bottle of aspirin has the recommended dose printed on its side. When your doctor prescribes medication, she tells you what dose you should take, whether it's one pill twice a day or two teaspoons just before bedtime. You can also get a dose of something else: having x-rays gives you a small dose of radiation, for example, and watching the news instead of your favorite cartoon can be said to give you a dose of reality. The Greek root of dose is dosis, "a portion prescribed."
Vocabulary lists containing dose
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.
At the American Diabetes Association conference, Lilly said a Phase 3 trial of retatrutide resulted in weight loss of 28.3% after 80 weeks on its highest dose.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
Prior to the launch of Wegovy HD, the highest available injectable dose was 2.4 milligrams of semaglutide.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
One reason is the body’s protective blood-brain barrier, which blocks 99% of a dose from reaching the brain.
From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026
"My doctor wanted me to go up to the next dose, but going up to the next dose meant increasing my cost, and I couldn't afford to do it," she told the BBC.
From BBC • Jun. 3, 2026
Seven downed a dose of opal-haworthia potion and begged the Stars for good luck.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
