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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.

doctor Related Forms

doc′·toral (-əl) adjective

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 Synonyms

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.

doctor Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • dispense: There is no corresponding provision in the dispensing doctor 's Terms of Service.
  • consult: The MMC team are hosting a number of events as part of their efforts to consult doctors, .. .
  • prescribe: The prescribing doctor will consider all these factors before deciding exactly what to do.
  • qualify: This is a training practice and each year we have a fully qualified doctor attached to us to gain experience in general practice.
  • ask: Explain your condition and ask the doctor to visit you.

Converse of subject

prescribe: Taking your medication Whatever drug(s ) you take, it needs to be taken daily exactly as prescribed by the doctor.

Adjective modifier

  • junior: Doing 96-hour weeks as a junior hospital doctor turned me off the NHS!
  • qualified: This means fully qualified doctors receive specialist training in General Practice.
  • overseas: The vast majority of overseas doctors training to get a specialist qualification take one six-month contract after another.
  • medical: You, a medical doctor who has the same technology in your body?
  • trained: Health systems -- we have a national health service with trained doctors and other health care providers.

Modifies a noun

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

Noun used with modifier

  • spin: I will stop party political spin doctors issuing orders to civil servants.
  • witch: He said: " In my country we have witch doctors that can sort anything out.
  • hospital: The researchers will then contact either your hospital doctor or GP from time to time to find out how you are getting on.
  • trainee: Teachers, nurses, trainee doctors, police officers and IT workers are just a few of the professions from which purchasers are coming.
  • on-call: Ideally the on-call doctor should be a member of the Center, and this is possible when the complement of doctors is large enough.
  • family: Family doctor services - the first point of contact with the NHS.

Possessives

surgery: The trip to the doctor's surgery made things worse.