doe
noun
the female of the deer, antelope, goat, rabbit, and certain other animals.
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doe
1 American
[doh]
/ doʊ /
noun
plural
does,plural
doe
DOE
2
American
-
Also d.o.e. depends on experience; depending on experience: used in stating a salary range in help-wanted ads.
DOE
1
British
abbreviation
-
(in Canada and, formerly, in Britain) Department of the Environment
-
(in the US) Department of Energy
Doe
2
British
/ dəʊ /
noun
-
law (formerly) the plaintiff in a fictitious action, Doe versus Roe, to test a point of law See also Roe
-
an unknown or unidentified male or female person
doe
3
British
/ dəʊ /
noun
Etymology
Origin of doe
First recorded before 1000; Middle English do, Old English dā; cognate with Danish daa; akin to Old English dēon “to suck”
Explanation
A doe is a deer, a female deer. Doe can also refer to the female of other animals, but it’s usually a deer. You might spot a doe in the spring, walking through the woods with her babies. There are several four-legged mammals whose females are called does, including goats, antelopes, and even rabbits. The males are called bucks. The words doe and buck are like woman and man for the furry set. Oddly, you can also refer to female guinea pigs, mice, and weasels as does, although doe usually means a deer. The word comes from the Old English da, or "female deer," which probably stems from a Celtic root.
Vocabulary lists containing doe
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.
A few miles from Festus is Herculaneum, site of the former Doe Run lead smelter, which closed in 2013.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 26, 2026
The man was identified as 59-year-old Walter Karl Kinney, a former banker who lived in Santa Rosa, according to a news release by the nonprofit DNA Doe Project.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
“This case was unusual — it’s not often we see someone end up as a John Doe twice,” project team leader Traci Onders said in the release.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 30, 2026
The lawsuit, brought on behalf of a "Jane Doe", cites a record of "incredibly alarming and erratic banking behavior" in her own Bank of America accounts, which were used by Epstein's team.
From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026
"Doe, Chester,” I said as my nose suddenly and involuntarily closed, "I’be leaving dis roob right dow.”
From "Bunnicula" by Deborah Howe and James Howe
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.
