ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dope

n. · v. · adj.
US //ˈdoʊp// UK //dˈəʊp// dope
  1. 1 a stupid person (n.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Informal

    a person who is slow to understand things or acts in a silly way.

    a person perceived as unintelligent or foolish.

    Example

    He felt like a total dope after he realized he had been wearing his shirt inside out all day.

    Example

    The protagonist is often portrayed as a lovable dope who manages to succeed despite his lack of common sense.
  2. 2 inside information (n.)
    C1 Advanced Informal

    secret or useful information about a situation.

    information, typically from an inside source, regarding a specific situation or event.

    Example

    I need to get the inside dope on the new project before the meeting starts.

    Example

    Journalists were desperate to get the real dope on the scandal before the official press release was issued.

    Usage

    Usually appears in the phrase 'the inside dope'.
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  1. 3 to use performance drugs (v.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Sport

    to take illegal drugs to perform better in a sport.

    to administer or consume performance-enhancing drugs, particularly in a competitive sporting context.

    Example

    The cyclist was banned for life after he was caught doping during the race.

    Example

    The international committee has implemented stricter testing protocols to ensure that athletes do not dope before major competitions.

    Usage

    Often used as the gerund 'doping'.
  2. 4 to add chemicals (v.)
    C2 Proficiency Technical Science

    to add a small amount of a substance to another to change how it works.

    to add a dopant to a semiconductor to modify its electrical properties.

    Example

    Engineers dope silicon with phosphorus to create certain types of computer chips.

    Example

    The efficiency of the solar cell was significantly improved by doping the thin-film layer with specific metallic impurities.
  3. 5 excellent or cool (adj.)
    B2 Upper Intermediate Slang

    very good, impressive, or stylish.

    highly impressive, excellent, or aesthetically pleasing.

    Example

    Those new sneakers you bought are totally dope.

    Example

    The producer's latest track features a dope beat that is already trending on social media.
Origin

From Dutch doop (“thick dipping sauce”), from Dutch dopen (“to dip”), from Middle Dutch dopen, from Old Dutch dōpen, from Frankish daupijan, from Proto-Germanic *daupijaną. “Doop” in the sense “narcotic drug” ultimately refers to viscous opium juice, the drug of choice of the ancient Greeks; “insider information” perhaps from knowing which horse had been doped in a race. Sense of "stupid person" perhaps following from the drug sense (i.e. relating to those intoxicated on opium), compare dope up. Related to English dip and German taufen. Unrelated to dopamine.

Idioms2 entries

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