doctor Hear it!

doctor definition

doc·tor (däk′tər)

noun

  1. Archaic a teacher or learned man
  2. a person who holds a doctorate
  3. a physician or surgeon (MD)
  4. a person licensed to practice any of the healing arts, as an osteopath, dentist, veterinarian, etc.
  5. a title used in addressing any person who holds a doctorate
  6. a witch doctor or medicine man
  7. a makeshift device, apparatus, etc., for emergency use
  8. a bright-colored artificial fly used in fishing

Etymology: ME doctour, teacher, learned man < OFr or < L doctor, teacher < pp. of docere, to teach: see decent

transitive verb

  1. to try to heal; apply medicine to
  2. to repair; mend
  3. to make suitable or improve by altering in a certain way
  4. to tamper with or change in order to deceive to doctor accounts

intransitive verb

  1. Informal to practice medicine
  2. ☆ Dialectal to undergo medical treatment, take medicine, etc.

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms doctor idiom

medical doctor definition - medical

doctor Synonyms

doctor

n.

  1. A medical practitioner

    Doctor of Medicine, M.D., physician, surgeon, family doctor, country doctor, medical attendant, specialist, consultant, intern, resident, house physician, homeopath, primary-care physician, quack*, veterinarian*, animal doctor, vet*, doc*, sawbones*, bones*, medico*, croaker*. *see dentist, medicine 3.

    Types of doctors include: heart specialist; eye, ear, nose, and throat specialist; respiratory specialist, family doctor, general practitioner, G.P.; anesthetist, anesthesiologist, dentist, podiatrist, internist, pediatrician, neonatologist, oculist, obstetrician, psychiatrist, psychoanalyst, public health physician, surgeon, orthopedist, gynecologist, radiologist, neurologist, cardiologist, gerontologist, pathologist, dermatologist, endocrinologist, ophthalmologist, laryngologist, urologist, neurologist, osteopath, oncologist, gastroenterologist, allergist, proctologist, hematologist, diathermist, radiothermist; orthopedic surgeon, cardiac surgeon, heart surgeon, plastic surgeon;

    Alternates to a doctor include: physician's assistant, midwife, chiropractor, acupuncturist, health-care provider, therapist, Christian Science practitioner, faith healer, witch doctor, shaman, medicine man.

  2. A holder of a doctoral degree

    Ph.D., Ed.D., expert, professor, student; see also degree 3, professor, scholar 2, scientist.


doctor

v.

  1. To treat

    attend, minister to, medicate; see treat 3.

  2. To change deceptively

    tamper with, falsify, adulterate, alter; see adulterate, corrupt 2, disguise.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

doctor Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • consult: The MMC team are hosting a number of events as part of their efforts to consult doctors, .. .

Adjective modifier

  • qualified: This means fully qualified doctors receive specialist training in General Practice.

Noun used with modifier

  • spin: I will stop party political spin doctors issuing orders to civil servants.

Modifies a noun

  • internist: Pacula and sturm databasespurchase of individual doctor internist pediatrician.

Noun used with modifier

  • hospital: The researchers will then contact either your hospital doctor or GP from time to time to find out how you are getting on.

Possessives

  • surgery: The trip to the doctor's surgery made things worse.
doctor usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

doctor quotes

I am a Doctor. A.B.†M.A.†PH.D.†ABMAPHID!†a wasting disease of the frontal lobes.

-Albee, Edward Franklin, III

An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

-Anonymous

An alcoholic has been lightly defined as a man who drinks more than his own doctor.

-Barach, Alvan Leroy

doctor quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Link to this page:

Cite this page:

MLA Style

"doctor." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/doctor>

APA Style

doctor. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/doctor

Comments:

Please or Register to post a comment