# dope

Pronunciation: say "DOHP" US /doʊp/, UK /dəʊp/

## Noun

1. An illegal drug taken for pleasure, especially cannabis or, in the US, heroin. *(slang)*
   - Simple: An illegal drug taken for pleasure, especially cannabis or heroin.
   - _Customs officers found dope hidden in the truck's spare tire._
   - _Back then, half the band was on dope of one kind or another._
4. A stupid person. *(slang)*
   - Simple: A silly or stupid person who does not think clearly.
   - _Some dope left the gate open and the dog got out._
   - _He felt like a complete dope for locking his keys in the car._
6. Inside information, typically passed on by someone in the know; the sense first arose around horse racing and similar sports. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Facts or news that most people do not know yet.
   - _A friend at city hall gave her the dope on the zoning vote before it was announced._
   - _What's the dope on the new manager? Is she tough or fair?_
7. A thick liquid or paste put on a surface to lubricate, seal, waterproof, or strengthen it, such as the varnish used on aircraft fabric.
   - Simple: A thick liquid or paste put on a surface, such as grease, sealant, or varnish for aircraft cloth.
   - _He brushed dope onto the pipe threads before tightening the fitting._
   - _The mechanic smeared a thin layer of gasket dope around the oil pan before bolting it on._
9. In shooting, recorded ballistic data from earlier shots, used to work out how far to hold over a target.
   - Simple: Notes about how bullets flew in earlier shots, used to aim better next time.
   - _The instructor told the recruits to log their dope after each string of fire._
   - _Without accurate dope, even a skilled marksman will miss at extreme range._
10. A carbonated soft drink, otherwise known as soda or pop. *(dialectal, Appalachia)*
   - Simple: A sweet, bubbly drink such as cola or root beer.
   - _The drugstore counter still serves dope in frosty glass bottles._
   - _He dropped a handful of peanuts straight into his dope and took a long swig._

## Adjective

2. Amazing or excellent; very cool. *(slang)*
   - Simple: Very good, exciting, or cool.
   - _The bassline on that track is dope._
   - _They turned an old warehouse into a dope rooftop bar._

## Verb

3. To take drugs, or give drugs to a person or animal, especially banned substances meant to change performance in sport.
   - Simple: To take drugs or give them to a person or animal, especially to change how well they do in sport.
   - _Several cyclists later admitted they had doped throughout the tour._
   - _Some athletes dope despite knowing a single positive test can end a career._
5. To add a small amount of an impurity, such as arsenic, to a pure semiconductor like silicon in order to change its electrical properties.
   - Simple: To add a tiny amount of another substance to a material like silicon to change how it carries electricity.
   - _Manufacturers dope silicon wafers with boron to create the layers inside a transistor._
   - _The lab doped the germanium sample with arsenic to increase its conductivity._
8. To coat or treat a part or surface with a lubricant, sealant, or similar thick preparation.
   - Simple: To put a special liquid or paste on something to protect it or make it work smoothly.
   - _Plumbers dope the threads of metal fittings to prevent leaks._
   - _He doped the fabric of the wing before the aircraft's first flight._

## Verb

11. To judge or guess; to predict the result of something. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To guess what will happen, especially who will win a game or race.

## Other meanings

- (noun) A sweet topping, such as syrup or sauce, served on ice cream or other desserts.
- (noun) An absorbent material used to hold or soak up a liquid.

## Origin

From Dutch "doop" ("thick dipping sauce"), from "dopen" ("to dip"), tracing back through Middle Dutch and Frankish to Proto-Germanic. The sense of "narcotic drug" ultimately refers to viscous opium juice, while "insider information" perhaps comes from knowing which horse had been doped in a race, and "stupid person" perhaps follows from the drug sense. It is related to English "dip" and German "taufen," and is unrelated to "dopamine."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/dope (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).