doctor

1 of 2

noun

doc·​tor ˈdäk-tər How to pronounce doctor (audio)
1
a
Christianity : an eminent theologian declared a sound expounder of doctrine by the Roman Catholic Church

called also doctor of the church

b
: a learned or authoritative teacher
c
: a person who has earned one of the highest academic degrees (such as a PhD) conferred by a university
Most of the college's faculty members are doctors in their fields.
The class is being taught by Doctor Menzer.
d
: a person awarded an honorary doctorate (such as an LLD or Litt D) by a college or university
2
a
: a person skilled or specializing in healing arts
especially : one (such as a physician, dentist, or veterinarian) who holds an advanced degree and is licensed to practice
See your doctor if the condition worsens.
an eye doctor
doctors' bills
3
a
: material added (as to food) to produce a desired effect
b
: a blade (as of metal) for spreading a coating or scraping a surface
4
: a person who restores, repairs, or fine-tunes things
doctoral adjective
doctorless adjective
doctorship noun

doctor

2 of 2

verb

doctored; doctoring ˈdäk-t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce doctor (audio)

transitive verb

1
a
: to give medical treatment to
doctored her ailing husband
b
: to restore to good condition : repair
doctor an old clock
2
a
: to adapt or modify for a desired end by alteration or special treatment
doctored the play to suit the audience
The drink was doctored.
b
: to alter deceptively
accused of doctoring the election returns
The pitcher tried to cheat by doctoring the baseball.

intransitive verb

1
: to practice medicine
a career doctoring in the country
2
dialect : to take medicine

Examples of doctor in a Sentence

Noun He needed medicine but refused to go to a doctor. She was under doctor's orders not to return to work. I saw her at the doctor's last week. How long will you be at the doctor? Most of the faculty members at this college are doctors in their fields. Dr. Smith, can you explain the exam requirements again? Verb They were accused of doctoring the company's financial records. a doctored photo of the actress I think somebody doctored the punch. He had time to doctor his wounds. She doctored the sick child until the physician arrived.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
To stop the bleeding, a doctor, who had no access to antiseptic or anesthesia, heated the blade of a kitchen knife and cauterized the wound. Eliza Griswold, The New Yorker, 21 Mar. 2024 An empathic, young plant doctor gifted with extrasensory powers and an emotionally fragile, isolated artist, must rescue each other to rediscover the essence of living. Addie Morfoot, Variety, 21 Mar. 2024 But this time the state has vowed to use part of it to pay doctors more for treating Medicaid patients. Adam Beam, Fortune, 21 Mar. 2024 This will help not only put concerns to rest but also build trust between your adolescent and her doctor. Cheryl Fenton, Parents, 20 Mar. 2024 But, even then, patients and doctors inside are still protected by the principle of proportionality. Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 20 Mar. 2024 But the production’s puzzling lack of fire (despite beautiful, lantern-rich lighting design by Isabella Byrd) originates with the good doctor himself. Naveen Kumar, Washington Post, 19 Mar. 2024 Taking any medication long-term without consulting a doctor first isn’t advised, Russo said. Korin Miller, Verywell Health, 19 Mar. 2024 Even when the services are fully restored, the health care system will still have to work through backlogs of unpaid claims that have slowed payments to doctors, pharmacies and hospitals. Democrat-Gazette Staff and Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 9 Mar. 2024
Verb
The Kate photo debacle is only the beginning of media mistrust Editing photos isn’t a novel concept; the royal family for decades has been doctoring photos of themselves to keep up their pristine façade. Sydney Lake, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024 That seemed to be the lesson after another day of internet-breaking rumors and conspiracy theories swirling around Catherine, Princess of Wales, who apologized on Monday for having doctored a photograph of herself with her three children that circulated on news sites and social media on Sunday. Mark Landler, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2024 If, in fact, the image of the princess with her kids was doctored or manipulated, the irony of the situation could be hard to shake off as it was meant to resist rumors. Prarthana Prakash, Fortune Europe, 11 Mar. 2024 During training and throughout our primary care careers thus far, being on call has just come with the territory of doctoring. Jeffrey Millstein and Jeffrey Tokazewski, STAT, 22 Feb. 2024 Planned Parenthood Great Plains said the Project Veritas video was filmed without the staff’s knowledge or consent and had been heavily doctored and edited. Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 29 Feb. 2024 To promote Her Loss, Savage and Drake doctored a parody Vogue cover of them that led the magazine's publisher to take legal action — to the tune of a $4 million lawsuit — with the two rappers settling for an undisclosed sum. Lester Fabian Brathwaite, EW.com, 25 Jan. 2024 Elijah Wood and Priscilla Presley are among the celebrities who were tricked into recording videos that were doctored into propaganda against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 8 Dec. 2023 The service creates a paper trail visible to both the whistleblower and the business accused of misbehavior—but one that’s stored on third-party infrastructure to prevent it being doctored. Joel Khalili, WIRED, 26 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'doctor.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English doctour teacher, doctor, from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin doctor, from Latin, teacher, from docēre to teach — more at docile

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1712, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of doctor was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near doctor

Cite this Entry

“Doctor.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/doctor. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

doctor

1 of 2 noun
doc·​tor ˈdäk-tər How to pronounce doctor (audio)
1
: a person holding one of the highest degrees (as a PhD) given by a university
2
: a person (as a physician, dentist, or veterinarian) skilled and specializing in the art of healing
doctoral adjective

doctor

2 of 2 verb
doctored; doctoring -t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce doctor (audio)
1
a
: to give medical treatment to
b
: to practice medicine
c
: to bring back to good condition : repair
doctor an old clock
2
: to tamper with
doctored the election returns
Etymology

Noun

Middle English doctour "doctor, teacher," from early French doctour and Latin doctor (both, same meaning), from earlier Latin doctor "teacher," from docēre "to teach" — related to docile, doctrine

Medical Definition

doctor

1 of 2 noun
doc·​tor ˈdäk-tər How to pronounce doctor (audio)
1
: a person skilled or specializing in healing arts
especially : one (as a physician, dentist, or veterinarian) who holds an advanced degree and is licensed to practice
2
a
: a person who has earned one of the highest academic degrees (as a PhD) conferred by a university
b
: a person awarded an honorary doctorate by a college or university

doctor

2 of 2 verb
doctored; doctoring -t(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce doctor (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to give medical treatment to
2
: castrate sense 1, spay
have your pet cat doctored

intransitive verb

: to practice medicine

More from Merriam-Webster on doctor

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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