What are the various meanings of dope? Keep reading to learn about this slang term and all of its different definitions.
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Kevin
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March 10, 2022
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Common Questions
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There are many definitions of the slang term dope. This article will cover the various meanings of the word dope, along with origins, translations, synonyms, antonyms, and more!
Keep reading to learn all about how to use the word dope in your daily life.
What Does the Word Dope Mean?
According to the dictionary, dope has several meanings, although this word is always used as slang. Dope first and foremost refers to someone who is foolish or stupid. Dope can also refer to drugs like marijuana and opium, or it can be a slang term for something excellent.
The word dope can also be a verb that means to add a dopant to, according to Your Dictionary. A dopant is something like arsenic that could be added to a semiconductor like silicon.
More generally, the word dope can mean to introduce an impurity or additive. Also, in chemistry, a dopant is an adsorbent or absorbent material used in manufacturing processes.
What Is the Origin of the Word Dope?
The word dope has been used in English since the 1800s. It comes from the Dutch doop and doopen, meaning a thick sauce. Initially, this word was used in English to refer to thick sauces. By the 1850s, it became an insult for someone stupid in the United States. Today, dope still describes syrups in places like Ohio.
Using dope to refer to drugs also came from the idea of a sticky, thick liquid. Drudge like opium can appear as a thick paste. Between 1880 and 1900, dope became synonymous with many illicit drugs. In the 1980s, the word dope started to mean excellent, which mirrored other reverse-meaning slang words like sick or bad.
The term doping was used to refer to banned steroids in sports like baseball in the 1990s and 2000s. This meaning came from 1900s horse racing, in which dope was given to horses to improve their performance. This is also where we get the expressions inside dope and straight dope. One famous doping scandal in recent history involved Lance Armstrong.
How Can Dope Be Used in a Sentence?
The word dope has several meanings, all considered slang terms. If you want to use dope to mean a fool, excellent, or drugs or steroids, only do so in a casual or informal setting.
You can use context clues to determine how someone is using the word dope, but if you are confused, do not be afraid to ask them to clarify.
Example #1: Dope Meaning Fool
The guy was a total dope and could barely tie his shoes, let alone run a company.
Example #2: Dope Meaning Excellent
The Coca-Cola float with chocolate syrup and ice cream was so dope. The sweet sauce mixed with the soft drink had excellent flavorings.
Example #3: Dope Meaning Drugs
They were caught smoking dope like coke, dip, and cocaine as well as opium-smoking in the back house.
Example #4: Dope Meaning Steroids
The coaches caught the Southern US team members doping and quickly put an end to it.
What Are Translations of Dope?
Dope is an English slang term, but there are many ways to refer to someone as an idiot or a fool in another language. Take a look at the below translations of dope from Nice Translator.
- Russian: идиот
- Romanian: idiot
- Vietnamese: kẻ ngốc
- Hebrew: אִידיוֹט
- Icelandic: hálfviti
- Urdu: بیوقوف
- Korean: 바보
- Welsh: idiot
- Malay: idiot
- Bengali: নির্বোধ
- Serbian: идиот
- Hindi: मूर्ख
- Italian: idiota
- Danish: idiot
- Swahili: Idiot
- Amharic: ፈሊጥ
- Gujarati: મૂર્ખ
- Latvian: idiots
- Telugu: వెధవ
- Hungarian: idióta
- Basque: mozolo
- Czech: idiot
- Portuguese (Brazil): idiota
- Spanish: idiota
- Portuguese (Portugal): idiota
- Polish: idiota
- Tamil: இடியட்
- Chinese (PRC): 笨蛋
- Estonian: idioot
- German: Idiot
- Dutch: idioot
- Arabic: غبي
- Turkish: salak
- Catalan: idiota
- Malayalam: പോട്ടൻ
- Thai: งี่เง่า
- Ukrainian: ідіот
- Slovenian: berka
- Lithuanian: idiotas
- Norwegian: idiot
- Croatian: idiot
- Slovak: idiot
- Greek: βλάκας
- Japanese: 愚か者
- Bulgarian: Идиот
- Kannada: ಮೂರ್ಖ
- French: idiot
- Marathi: मूर्ख
- Swedish: idiot
- Finnish: idiootti
- Chinese (Taiwan): 笨蛋
- Filipino: idiot
What Are Synonyms of the Word Dope?
Power Thesaurus provides many synonyms of dope for all of its meanings.
- birdbrain
- blockhead
- bonehead
- boob
- booby
- chump
- clod
- dimwit
- dolt
- donkey
- drug
- drugs
- dullard
- dumbbell
- dummy
- dunce
- dunderhead
- fathead
- fool
- grass
- halfwit
- idiot
- ignoramus
- imbecile
- info
- information
- jackass
- jerk
- locoweed
- loon
- moron
- narcotic
- narcotics
- narcotize
- nerd
- nincompoop
- ninny
- nitwit
- numbskull
- opiate
- pinhead
- schmuck
- simpleton
- skunk
- smoke
- turkey
- twit
- weed
What Are Antonyms of the Word Dope?
Power Thesaurus also provides antonyms — or opposite words — of dope.
- abominable
- academic
- ace
- alpha geek
- artist
- boffin
- bookish person
- brain
- brainbox
- brainiac
- brains
- bright spark
- brilliant person
- clever clogs
- critical thinker
- egghead
- einstein
- expert
- focused person
- genius
- gifted child
- highbrow
- intellect
- intellectual
- master
- mastermind
- maven
- mental giant
- nerd
- ninja
- organized person
- polymath
- prodigy
- renaissance woman
- rocket scientist
- serious person
- serious-minded person
- sharp cookie
- smarty pants
- sober-minded person
- sobersides
- thinker
- virtuoso
- walking dictionary
- walking encyclopedia
- warmhearted person
- whiz
- whizz
- wise man
- wise person
- wiseman
- wiz
- wizard
Conclusion
The word dope can be used as slang to refer to an idiot, something excellent, or illegal drugs. Dope comes from a Dutch word for a thick goopy sludge.
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