ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dope

n. uncountable
B2 Upper Intermediate US //ˈdoʊp// UK //dˈəʊp// dope Archaic Slang Vulgar

n. an illegal drug, especially one that people smoke or inject. It can also mean information that is not public yet or a substance used to make something work better.

n. an illicit drug, particularly cannabis or heroin; by extension, any substance used for illegal performance enhancement in athletics. In informal contexts, it refers to inside information or data.


SIMPLE

He was caught buying dope on the street corner.

CONTEXTUAL

The athlete was stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for dope during the post-race screening.

COMPLEX

Journalists spent weeks trying to get the inside dope on the merger before the official press release was issued to the public.

Synonyms
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.

Usage

Uncountable when referring to drugs or information; can be used as a modifier in terms like 'dope test'.

Idioms2 entries

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