dope
- 01 B2 Upper Intermediate
n.a person who is slow to understand things or acts in a silly way.
n.a person perceived as unintelligent or foolish.
Simple“He felt like a total dope after he realized he had been wearing his shirt inside out all day.”
In context“The protagonist is often portrayed as a lovable dope who manages to succeed despite his lack of common sense.”
- 02 C1 Advanced
n.secret or useful information about a situation.
n.information, typically from an inside source, regarding a specific situation or event.
Simple“I need to get the inside dope on the new project before the meeting starts.”
In context“Journalists were desperate to get the real dope on the scandal before the official press release was issued.”
UsageUsually appears in the phrase 'the inside dope'.
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to take illegal drugs to perform better in a sport.
v.to administer or consume performance-enhancing drugs, particularly in a competitive sporting context.
Simple“The cyclist was banned for life after he was caught doping during the race.”
In context“The international committee has implemented stricter testing protocols to ensure that athletes do not dope before major competitions.”
UsageOften used as the gerund 'doping'.
Synonyms - 04 C2 Proficiency
v.to add a small amount of a substance to another to change how it works.
v.to add a dopant to a semiconductor to modify its electrical properties.
Simple“Engineers dope silicon with phosphorus to create certain types of computer chips.”
In context“The efficiency of the solar cell was significantly improved by doping the thin-film layer with specific metallic impurities.”
- 05 B2 Upper Intermediate
adj.very good, impressive, or stylish.
adj.highly impressive, excellent, or aesthetically pleasing.
Simple“Those new sneakers you bought are totally dope.”
In context“The producer's latest track features a dope beat that is already trending on social media.”
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.