dope

[dohp]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR dope ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any thick liquid or pasty preparation, as a lubricant, used in preparing a surface.

an absorbent material used to absorb and hold a liquid, as in the manufacture of dynamite.

Aeronautics.

any of various varnishlike products for coating a fabric, as of airplane wings, in order to make it waterproof, stronger, etc.
a similar product used to coat the fabric of a balloon to reduce gas leakage.

Slang.

any narcotic or narcoticlike drug taken to induce euphoria or satisfy addiction.
any illicit drug.

Slang. a narcotic, usually a steroid, given to an athlete to unfairly boost performance in a competition.

Slang. a narcotic preparation given surreptitiously to a horse to improve or retard its performance in a race.

Slang. information, data, or news: What's the latest dope on the strike?

Informal. a stupid or unresponsive person.

Southern U.S. (chiefly South Atlantic States ). soda pop, especially cola-flavored.

North Central U.S. (chiefly Ohio ). syrup used as a topping for ice cream.

verb (used with object), doped, dop·ing.

Slang. to affect with dope or drugs.

Slang. to give a narcotic to (an athlete) to unfairly boost performance in a competition.

to apply or treat with dope.

Electronics. to add or treat (a pure semiconductor) with a dopant.

verb (used without object), doped, dop·ing.

Slang. to take drugs.

Verb Phrases

dope out, Slang.

to figure out; calculate; devise: to dope out a plan.
to deduce or infer from available information: to dope out a solution to a problem.

Origin of dope

1840–50; 1885–90 for def 4; 1900–05 for def 7; < Dutch doop (dial.) sauce, derivative of dopen to dip¹

Related formsun·doped, adjective

Regional variation note

9. See soda pop.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for dope

idiot, narcotic, fool, ass, donkey, dunce, blockhead, simpleton, dimwit, dolt, opiate, stimulant, information, account, knowledge, tip, details, facts, info, load

Examples from the Web for dope

Contemporary Examples of dope

Soon cover versions were recorded by acts like Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Dope, and Rage Against the Machine.
A Brief History of the Phrase 'F*ck the Police'
Rich Goldstein
August 23, 2014
Dope smokers find e-cigarettes and high-tech ‘mods’ are great for smoking in public, with less fear from cops and bouncers.
This Is Your E-Cigarette on Drugs
Daniel Genis
July 28, 2014
There are many more she used on the street while earning money to pay for dope.
Hallucinating Away a Heroin Addiction
Abby Haglage
May 4, 2014
Narcotics cops immediately set to determining which dope dealers use those brand names.
Inside Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Apartment
Michael Daly
February 2, 2014
He was gonna say, "Fine, look anywhere you want, you won't find any dope."
‘The Armstrong Lie,’ Alex Gibney’s Portrait of Lance as a Liar
Thomas Flynn
November 9, 2013

Historical Examples of dope

Of course he's sick from the dope, an' the others are a bit fast for him.
Thoroughbreds
W. A. Fraser
You make out a list of what dope you want—and be sure yuh get a-plenty.
Chip, of the Flying U
B. M. Bower
The "dope" he used was mailed to him by a drug firm in Chicago.
The Harbor
Ernest Poole
I'll bet we can dope out some way of putting it over on them.
Astounding Stories of Super-Science, November, 1930
Various
He was snuffing at the splashes of axle “dope” on the ground beneath the wagon.
The Law-Breakers
Ridgwell Cullum

British Dictionary definitions for dope

dope

noun

any of a number of preparations made by dissolving cellulose derivatives in a volatile solvent, applied to fabric in order to improve strength, tautness, etc

an additive used to improve the properties of something, such as an antiknock compound added to petrol

a thick liquid, such as a lubricant, applied to a surface

a combustible absorbent material, such as sawdust or wood pulp, used to hold the nitroglycerine in dynamite

slang

any illegal drug, usually cannabis
(as modifier)a dope fiend

a drug administered to a racehorse or greyhound to affect its performance

informal a person considered to be stupid or slow-witted

informal news or facts, esp confidential information

US and Canadian informal a photographic developing solution

verb (tr)

electronics to add impurities to (a semiconductor) in order to produce or modify its properties

to apply or add a dopant to

to administer a drug to (oneself or another)

(intr) to take dope

adjective

slang, mainly US excellent

Word Origin for dope

C19: from Dutch doop sauce, from doopen to dip

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for dope

1807, American English, "sauce, gravy, thick liquid," from Dutch doop "thick dipping sauce," from doopen "to dip" (cf. dip (v.)). Extension to "drug" is 1889, from practice of smoking semi-liquid opium preparation. Meaning "foolish, stupid person" is older (1851) and may have a sense of "thick-headed." Sense of "inside information" (1901) may come from knowing before the race which horse had been drugged to influence performance. Dope-fiend is attested from 1896.

1889, from dope (n.). Related: Doped; doping.

dope in Medicine

dope

[dōp]

n.

A narcotic, especially an addictive narcotic.

An illicit drug, especially marijuana.