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Synonyms

dupe

1 American  
[doop, dyoop] / dup, dyup /

noun

  1. a person who is easily deceived or fooled; gull.

  2. a person who unquestioningly or unwittingly serves a cause or another person.

    a dupe of the opponents.

verb (used with object)

duped, duping

  1. to make a dupe of; deceive; delude; trick.

dupe 2 American  
[doop, dyoop] / dup, dyup /

noun

  1. duplicate.

  2. Movies.

    1. a duplicate picture negative used for making additional release prints or for making special effects to be inserted in the release negative.

    2. the procedure for producing such a duplicate.

  3. Television. a duplicate videotape obtained by electronic printing of the original videotape.

verb (used with or without object)

duped, duping

  1. to duplicate.

adjective

  1. duplicate.

dupe British  
/ djuːp /

noun

  1. a person who is easily deceived

  2. a person who unwittingly serves as the tool of another person or power

"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

verb

  1. (tr) to deceive, esp by trickery; make a dupe or tool of; cheat; fool

"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

Other Word Forms

  • dupability noun
  • dupable adjective
  • duper noun
  • dupery noun
  • undupable adjective

Etymology

Origin of dupe1

First recorded in 1675–85; from French; Middle French duppe for unattested tête d'uppe “head of hoopoe,” i.e., “fool” (compare tête de fou ), from unattested Vulgar Latin uppa, Latin upupa “hoopoe,” a bird thought to be especially stupid; hoopoe

Origin of dupe2

First recorded in 1895–90; by shortening

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.

Last month, the foreign minister told the BBC the Kenyan authorities had closed more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of duping Kenyans with promises of jobs overseas.

From BBC

The company has worked with a sneaker reseller to detect dupes with high accuracy, he says.

From The Wall Street Journal

He last month told the BBC that Kenyan authorities had closed more than 600 recruitment agencies suspected of duping Kenyans with promises of jobs overseas.

From BBC

Even former prime minister Lee Hsien Loong has admitted to being duped into making an order on a fake e-commerce website.

From Barron's

A couple are facing being evicted from their home after being duped by a serial fraudster who ran a scam impersonating dead people.

From BBC

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.