dupe

¹

[doop, dyoop]

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

[doop, dyoop]

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

/ djuːp /

noun

1. a person who is easily deceived

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

verb

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of dupe¹

C17: from French, from Old French duppe, contraction of de huppe of (a) hoopoe (from Latin upupa ); from the bird's reputation for extreme stupidity

Example Sentences

Her younger sister might be a candidate for a dupe version of a high-end coat, handbag or pair of sunglasses.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Yet they were anything but shills and dupes.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

With more tickets available, some of the scenes at Old Trafford can be upsetting as supporters discover they have been duped.

Read more on BBC

Williams-Sonoma is suing Quince over the sale of “dupes,” or similar-looking, cheaper versions of its home goods, highlighting a growing trend.

Read more on Barron's

Questions multiplied, but one seemed more elusive than the rest: How did a baby-faced novice from small-town California dupe some of academia’s brightest minds?

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• baffle 
• bamboozle 
• betray 
• cheat 
• deceive 
• defraud 
• delude 
• hoodwink 
• mislead 
• swindle 
• victimize