dose

American  

[dohs] / doʊs /

noun

1. a quantity of medicine prescribed to be taken at one time.

2. a substance, situation, or quantity of anything analogous to medicine, especially of something disagreeable.

   Failing the exam was a hard dose to swallow.

3. an amount of sugar added in the production of champagne.

4. Physics.

   1. 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.

   2. exposure dose.

5. Slang. a case of gonorrhea or syphilis.

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verb (used with object)

dosed, dosing

1. to administer in or apportion for doses.

2. to give a dose of medicine to.

3. to add sugar to (champagne) during production.

verb (used without object)

dosed, dosing

1. to take a dose of medicine.

dose British  

/ dəʊs /

noun

1. med a specific quantity of a therapeutic drug or agent taken at any one time or at specified intervals

2. informal something unpleasant to experience

   a dose of influenza

3. 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

4. Also called: dosage.  a small amount of syrup added to wine, esp sparkling wine, when the sediment is removed and the bottle is corked

5. slang a venereal infection, esp gonorrhoea

6. very quickly indeed

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verb

1. to administer a dose or doses to (someone)

2. med to give (a therapeutic drug or agent) in appropriate quantities

3. (often foll by up) to give (someone, esp oneself) drugs, medicine, etc, esp in large quantities

4. to add syrup to (wine) during bottling

Other Word Forms

• doser noun
• superdose noun
• underdose noun
• well-dosed adjective

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”

Example Sentences

"In clinical practice, epidurals are given in carefully controlled doses because blocking sensory nerves completely can make labor much longer," notes Zhang.

From Science Daily

The technology could help address a widespread problem in health care: people missing doses or stopping treatment early.

From Science Daily

Almost two-thirds of the people who were initially sceptical went on to receive at least one dose of a Covid vaccine, according to data from the National Health Service cited in the study.

From Barron's

Analysts say that developing “emerging” markets, and even less-developed “frontier” markets, can often — in small doses — add real value to an investment portfolio, not least because they might zig when the developed world is zagging.

From MarketWatch

The universal birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine was adopted precisely because screening and follow-up fail.

From MarketWatch

Related Words

• application
• dosage
• lot
• measure
• measurement
• prescription
• quantity
• shot