English Reference
Noun

dupe

n. countable
C2 Proficiency US /ˈdup/ UK /djˈuːp/ dupe UK spelling duped, dupes Photography

n.a person who is easily tricked or fooled by someone else. You use this word for someone who is too trusting and gets taken advantage of.

n.a person who is easily deceived or tricked by another. Often carries a pejorative or slightly humorous tone in informal contexts.


SIMPLE

He was a total dupe for the scammer's story.

CONTEXTUAL

The con artist targeted the elderly man, who was a perfect dupe for his elaborate scheme.

COMPLEX

While the plot was technically sound, the protagonist's role as a dupe for the villain's plan felt somewhat forced and unconvincing to the audience.

But illicit, counterfeit dupes of retatrutide are currently flooding the black market.

BBC News· 4 Sept 2026

We've always been side by side." Matthew's father was cleared of any involvement as he was also duped by Hayden-Johnson.

BBC News· 19 Aug 2026

Etymology 1

From French duper, from Middle French duppe, alteration of huppe (“hoopoe”), from Latin, onomatopoeic.

Etymology 2

Clipping of duplicate.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This entry
Origin Latin -
Level C2 · Proficiency
Frequency Occasional
Updated