play doctor
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of play doctor
First recorded in 1920–25
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.
The new production will see Smith play doctor Thomas Stockmann, a medical officer who finds the public baths are contaminated.
From BBC ● Sep. 5, 2023
“We’d play doctor and patient, or teacher and student,” said Tenbarge, who is a student at Ohio State University, studying journalism.
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2018
Naleigh loves to play doctor and has a little doctor's kit.
From Reuters ● Jan. 27, 2012
She’d play doctor and wrap him in bandages and put bonnets on his head.
From Washington Post ● Nov. 28, 2011
"You're to play, doctor?" some cried, running to the dog-cart.
From The Little Minister by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie
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.
