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definitions

dupe

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

noun

a person who is easily deceived or fooled; gull.
a person who unquestioningly or unwittingly serves a cause or another person: a dupe of the opponents.

verb (used with object), duped, dup·ing.

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

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RELATED WORDS

patsy, baffle, victimize, cheat, swindle, bamboozle, mislead, betray, deceive, hoodwink, defraud, delude, fool, sucker, fish, mark, victim, butt, chump, sap

Nearby words

  1. duotype,
  2. dup,
  3. dup.,
  4. duparc,
  5. dupatta,
  6. dupery,
  7. dupion,
  8. duplation,
  9. duple,
  10. duple rhythm

Origin of dupe

1
1675–85; < French; Middle French duppe for *(tête) d'uppe head of hoopoe, i.e., fool (compare tête de fou) < Vulgar Latin *uppa, Latin upupa hoopoe, a bird thought to be especially stupid; cf. hoopoe
Related formsdup·a·ble, adjectivedup·a·bil·i·ty, noundup·er, nounun·dup·a·ble, adjective

dupe

2
[ doop, dyoop ]
/ dup, dyup /
Informal.

noun

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

verb (used with or without object), duped, dup·ing.

to duplicate.

adjective

duplicate.

Origin of dupe

2
First recorded in 1895–90; by shortening
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for duping

British Dictionary definitions for duping

dupe

/ (djuːp) /

noun

a person who is easily deceived
a person who unwittingly serves as the tool of another person or power

verb

(tr) to deceive, esp by trickery; make a dupe or tool of; cheat; fool
Derived Formsdupable, adjectivedupability, nounduper, noundupery, noun

Word Origin for dupe

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
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 duping
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper