dose

SayDOHS/doʊs/UK/dəʊs/

12 meanings of dose

1
nouncountable
A set amount of medicine to take at one time.
Like one scoop of food measured out for a single meal.
The doctor told her to take one dose of the syrup every morning.
He accidentally skipped a dose and felt the symptoms come back.
Similardosage, measure, portion
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2
nouncountable
An amount of a substance or radiation that someone gets at one time.
Like measuring how much sunlight you take in over a day.
A single dose of radiation from one X-ray is very small.
Workers wear badges that track the dose they get each day.
Similaramount, quantity, dosage, measure
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3
verbtransitive
To give someone a measured amount of medicine.
The nurse will dose each patient before the procedure.
They dose the cattle with vitamins twice a year.
Similarmedicate, treat
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4
nounfigurativelycountable
A large amount or long experience of something.
Like getting a big helping of something, the way you get a big plate of food.
After a hard week, she needed a good dose of rest.
The trip gave us a healthy dose of adventure.
Similarmeasure, helping, taste, portion
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5
verbintransitive
To work out and order the right amount of medicine for someone.
Doctors must dose carefully when treating young children.
The clinic will dose based on the patient's weight.
Similarprescribe
6
verbtransitive
To secretly give someone a drug that makes them weak or unable to act.
He was caught trying to dose a stranger's drink at the club.
They warned her that someone might dose her at the party.
Similardrug, spike, dope
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7
nouncolloquialIrelandcountable
A cold: a common illness that blocks your nose and may bring a fever.
Like the stuffy nose and tiredness people catch every winter.
He picked up a nasty dose over the weekend and stayed home.
Half the office is off this week with a dose.
Similarcold, bug, chill
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Practice

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Origin

It came through Middle French from a Greek word meaning "a giving," which doctors used to mean an amount of medicine.