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doctor

/ˈdɒktə/

noun

Meaning

  • A physician; a member of the medical profession; one who is trained and licensed to heal the sick or injured. The final examination and qualification may award a doctor degree in which case the post-nominal letters are D.O., DPM, M.D., DMD, DDS, in the US or MBBS in the UK.

    "If you still feel unwell tomorrow, see your doctor."

  • A person who has attained a doctorate, such as a Ph.D. or Th.D. or one of many other terminal degrees conferred by a college or university.

  • A veterinarian; a medical practitioner who treats non-human animals.

  • A nickname for a person who has special knowledge or talents to manipulate or arrange transactions.

  • A teacher; one skilled in a profession or a branch of knowledge; a learned man.

  • Any mechanical contrivance intended to remedy a difficulty or serve some purpose in an exigency.

    "the doctor of a calico-printing machine, which is a knife to remove superfluous colouring matter"

  • A fish, the friar skate.

Synonyms

GP,
doc,
family doctor,
general practitioner,
medic,
physician,
sawbones,
surgeon,
vet,
veterinarian,
veterinary,
veterinary surgeon

verb

Meaning

  • To act as a medical doctor to.

    "Her children doctored her back to health."

  • To act as a medical doctor.

  • To make (someone) into an (academic) doctor; to confer a doctorate upon.

  • To physically alter (medically or surgically) a living being in order to change growth or behavior.

    "They doctored their apple trees by vigorous pruning, and now the dwarfed trees are easier to pick."

  • To genetically alter an extant species.

    "Mendel's discoveries showed how the evolution of a species may be doctored."

  • To alter or make obscure, as with the intention to deceive, especially a document.

  • To take medicine.