# dope

/ˈdoʊp/ (US) · /dˈəʊp/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/dope
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 2. a stupid person

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

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

For teachers: a person perceived as unintelligent or foolish.

- He felt like a total dope after he realized he had been wearing his shirt inside out all day.
- The protagonist is often portrayed as a lovable dope who manages to succeed despite his lack of common sense.

### 3. inside information

noun · CEFR C1 · Informal

secret or useful information about a situation.

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

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

### 4. to use performance drugs

verb · CEFR B2

to take illegal drugs to perform better in a sport.

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

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

### 5. to add chemicals

verb · CEFR C2 · Technical

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

For teachers: to add a dopant to a semiconductor to modify its electrical properties.

- Engineers dope silicon with phosphorus to create certain types of computer chips.
- The efficiency of the solar cell was significantly improved by doping the thin-film layer with specific metallic impurities.

### 6. excellent or cool

adjective · CEFR B2 · Slang

very good, impressive, or stylish.

For teachers: highly impressive, excellent, or aesthetically pleasing.

- Those new sneakers you bought are totally dope.
- The producer's latest track features a dope beat that is already trending on social media.

## Examples

- He was caught buying dope on the street corner.
- The athlete was stripped of his gold medal after testing positive for dope during the post-race screening.
- Journalists spent weeks trying to get the inside dope on the merger before the official press release was issued to the public.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.