Meaning & use
dope
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivecomparableslang
Very good, impressive or stylish.
Grammar: Used before or after a noun: a dope beat, that is dope.
Patterns
- dope + noun
That new song is dope.
She wore a dope jacket.
Your drawing is dope.
noununcountableslang
An illegal drug, especially marijuana.
Grammar: Uncountable: he smoked dope.
Patterns
- smoke dope
Police found dope in the car.
He was arrested for selling dope.
nouncountableinformaldisapproving
A foolish person.
Grammar: Countable, informal and mildly insulting.
I felt like a dope for forgetting the keys.
Don't be a dope.
nounsingularinformal
Private information.
Grammar: Often the dope on something.
Patterns
- the dope on something
Give me the dope on the new boss.
Word forms
| plural | dopes |
|---|---|
| comparative | doper |
| superlative | dopest |
Common combinations
- dope beat
- The DJ played a dope beat.
- smoke dope
- He quit smoking dope.
- the dope on
- I got the dope on the plan.
- feel like a dope
- I felt like a dope.
Synonyms and how they differ
- cool
- Milder and far more widely used.
- awesome
- Stronger praise and broader use.
- idiot
- Harsher than the noun dope.
Opposites
Word family
- dopey adjective
- stupid or sleepy
Commonly confused: dope or dope?
dope vs dope
Different meanings (cool vs drug vs fool) depend on context; be careful in formal settings.
Practice
"That jacket is dope." Here dope means:
Choose one answer.
As slang adjective, dope means excellent or stylish.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “dope”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.