noun
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1A person who is qualified to treat people who are ill.
as title ‘Doctor Thornhill’
- ‘For the next two and a half days, the boy remained in the intensive care ward while doctors, nurses and medics helped him recover.’
- ‘You should talk to your child’s doctor if your child experiences these side effects.’
- ‘To make a diagnosis of brain death, doctors conduct required medical tests.’
- ‘Point out that depression is a medical condition that doctors can effectively treat.’
- ‘It had resulted in asthma being the most common chronic illness treated by doctors in general practice.’
- ‘Psychiatrists are qualified doctors who have specialist training in treating mental health problems.’
- ‘Anaesthetists are medical doctors who specialise in the field of anaesthesia.’
- ‘Her family doctor prescribed a drug that helped, but it made her tired.’
- ‘The amendment was designed to control the sale of illegitimate products invented by quack doctors.’
- ‘These patients are treated by primary care doctors in outpatient clinics.’
- ‘Most patients are seen and treated by primary care doctors, who may be unfamiliar with the condition.’
- ‘Second, there are medical malpractice claims against doctors and hospitals.’
- ‘Ask your private doctor or hospital clinic physician for information as to how you can obtain a bone density test.’
- ‘MAO inhibitors are commonly prescribed by medical doctors to treat depression.’
- ‘Although she went to several doctors and hospital emergency rooms, no one could explain what was happening.’
- ‘I recently injured my back playing hockey, and my doctor prescribed physical therapy.’
- ‘You might feel more comfortable in a hospital or nursing home with doctors and nurses nearby at all times.’
- ‘Any woman who is worried about this should speak to her doctor, midwife or obstetrician.’
- ‘Contraception is normally supplied by your doctor or by the family planning clinic.’
- ‘Five ambulances, 15 medical personnel, two doctors and paramedics were on stand-by.’
physician, medical practitioner, medical man, medical woman, clinician, doctor of medicine, md
- 1.1North American A qualified dentist or veterinary surgeon.
- ‘A veterinary doctor by profession, he began his love affair with Nila about 25 years ago.’
- ‘A veterinary doctor attended on her, but the symptoms continued.’
- ‘Talk with your doctor before having any dental work done during the course of your treatment.’
- ‘Mahouts and sometimes, veterinary doctor have to accompany the jumbos if they are given on hire for long hours.’
- ‘Veterinary doctors and other competent personnel should be requisitioned for the purpose, at least on a contract basis.’
- ‘So you think you’d like to be a veterinary doctor and you love animals?’
- ‘Then she hired an autorickshaw and took me to a veterinary doctor.’
- ‘In the panel were veterinary doctors, elephant owners, mahouts and elephant lovers.’
- ‘My cat needs me to feed her, take her to the doctor, and open the door for her.’
- ‘And like S. Ravindran Nair, retired veterinary doctor, most will stay rooted at home on Sunday.’
- ‘I was told, even if the papers from abroad prove inoculations, the dogs have to be checked by a veterinary doctor in the airport.’
- 1.2informal with modifier A person employed to make improvements or give advice.
‘the script doctor rewrote the original’
- ‘She is a freelance writer, a script doctor and producer, and an award-winning journalist.’
- ‘I turned to the hair doctor for advice.’
- ‘But the thing is, for a script doctor, the best thing in the world is a good idea with a terrible script.’
- ‘Storytelling has been abused in Hollywood since producers started consulting script doctors.’
- ‘This movie didn’t really need a script doctor – but an acting coach sure wouldn’t have hurt..’
- ‘It’s important to note how badly a script doctor was needed for The Singing Detective.’
- ‘Money is wasted on explosions and stunts when it should have been given to a script doctor.’
- ‘Nowadays it often seems as if studios employ script doctors not to remove four-letter words but to add them.’
- ‘The one-liners are as zingfully fresh as only Hollywood’s best script doctors can write.’
- ‘So what do the script doctors at SARFT recommend?’
- ‘In addition, it is likely uncredited but well-paid script doctors were drafted in to rewrite certain scenes.’
- ‘The razor-sharp wit that made Fisher a highly paid Hollywood script doctor is also on display.’
- ‘What do you think of these high-profile script doctors?’
- ‘In the present crisis, the Tories should not be consulting spin doctors, but historians.’
- ‘After directing the film, he hightailed it out to Bali, only to return again to work as a script doctor.’
- ‘I learnt this as a junior spin doctor for a minor political party.’
- ‘This is the story of New York city date doctor employed by socially-inept men to help orchestrate their first three dates with the women of their dreams.’
- ‘Hit and Runway is indeed like a bunch of hopelessly lost screen cretins looking for a script doctor.’
- ‘This is the way he described working as a script doctor vs. writing his own stuff.’
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2A person who holds the highest university degree.
‘he was made a Doctor of Divinity’
- ‘This week Glasgow Caledonian University is making him an Honorary Doctor of Letters.’
- ‘He studied in St. Nathy’s College, Ballaghaderreen and later graduated as a Doctor of Science.’
- ‘Last Wednesday, he was made a Doctor of Music at the University of St Andrews.’
- 2.1
- ‘Bede was recognized as a doctor of the church by Pope Leo XIII in 1899.’
- ‘It was not until after the Council of Trent that popes began to add new doctors of the church at regular intervals.’
- ‘Local saints are frequently included, as well as figures of general importance, apostles, and doctors of the Church.’
- 2.2archaic A teacher or learned person.
‘the wisest doctor is gravelled by the inquisitiveness of a child’
- ‘The learned doctors of the Great Vehicle teach us that the essential characteristic of the universe is its emptiness.’
educator, tutor, instructor, pedagogue, schoolteacher, schoolmaster, schoolmistress, master, mistress, governess, educationalist, educationist
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3An artificial fishing fly.
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4with modifier A cool onshore breeze that blows regularly in a particular warm location.
‘the Perth doctor blows towards evening off the Indian Ocean’
- ‘My mom’s family planned their yearly escape from the heat—to the beach, where they would at least have the Fremantle doctor in the evening.’
- ‘Even on the hottest days, the Fremantle Doctor – the famous seabreeze off the Indian Ocean – comes to the rescue by early afternoon.’
- ‘The harmattan blows during the winter months along the coast of Upper Guinea,where it is locally known as “the doctor”.’
- ‘The ocean breeze the Aussies call “the doctor” did, as advertised, come in most afternoons or evenings to cool things off.’
- ‘We watched what may have been the most exciting America’s Cup races of our time thanks to the Fremantle Doctor, the strong wind that blows regularly every afternoon when cool air is pulled in off the ocean.’
verb
[with object]-
1Change the content or appearance of (a document or picture) in order to deceive; falsify.
‘the reports could have been doctored’
- ‘Please note that these pictures have not been doctored in any way.’
- ‘Instead, they come in to the advisers and pick files at random – a complete waste of time since files can be doctored.’
- ‘Even though everyone knows these images are doctored they are still there.’
- ‘But what if he hadn’t been suspected of doctoring his report?’
- ‘Since so many of the documents on view are themselves doctored items or spoofs, factuality becomes suspect.’
- ‘The company claims he doctored documents to cover his tracks.’
- ‘Signatures were forged, medical records were doctored.’
- ‘But he didn’t tell the therapist the truth, and his lies continued for 10 more days, during which time he delivered a letter, and copies of the doctored files, to his boss.’
- ‘One news agency photographer has already been fired for doctoring his photos in Lebanon!’
- ‘As part of the understanding, any passport suspected to be fake or doctored, is scanned along with the photograph of the applicant and sent to the RPO’s office.’
- ‘First they said that pictures showing the bulge might have been doctored.’
- ‘We thought that we were the only ones that doctored photos.’
- ‘In real life, even models have stretch marks (fashion photos are doctored up).’
- ‘I got back to London with a huge amount of material – a lot of it had been doctored or falsified.’
- ‘Murphy’s defence team said the notes, drawn up by detectives during the interviews, had been doctored as different types of paper, ink and handwriting appeared among the 54 pages.’
- ‘He doctored the roll-call records to make it seem as if he hadn’t deserted.’
- ‘But the public interest would not be served by people of dubious motives giving false information by doctoring the official record.’
- ‘He suggested a senior lecturer had doctored documents for the purpose of an employment tribunal.’
- ‘To add some visual appeal and an element of authenticity, there were photos doctored appropriately using digital technology.’
falsify, tamper with, tinker with, interfere with, manipulate, massage, rig, alter, change
- 1.1 Alter the content of (food or drink) by adding strong or harmful ingredients.
‘he denied doctoring Stephen’s drinks’
- ‘Places where men can band together and consume meat are now either heavily policed, or the meat is doctored to lessen its impact.’
- ‘I think that third-world countries can benefit from GM foods, because these doctored foods can provide the nutrients that these deprived people need to stay alive.’
- ‘You conspiracy theorists can put away your suspicions that the meat is being doctored for cosmetic purposes.’
- ‘The family of the latest victim said they know of at least two other young people who believe their drinks had been doctored in local pubs.’
- ‘Pre-eleven o’clock it’s a restaurant serving spicy Asian delicacies a la fish and noodles that might just have been doctored with aphrodisiacs.’
- ‘Other research extends these findings from doctored drinks to regular food.’
- ‘We get hold of some, find a sheep and doctor its food.’
adulterate, contaminate, taint, tamper with, lace, mix, dilute, water down, thin out, weaken
- 1.2Cricket Baseball Tamper with (a ball) so as to affect its flight when bowled or pitched.
‘fast bowlers were doctoring the ball’
- ‘Check out what the pitcher said after being accused of doctoring the ball.’
- ‘He doctored a ball over the course of two weeks by pounding it with a bat, soaking it in soapy water, and finally coating it with white shoe polish to make it look like new.’
- ‘He references unsavory baseball aids used through the years – doctored balls, corked bats, amphetamines – and tries to claim them as precursors to steroid use.’
- ‘Whether it’s pitchers doctoring baseballs, batters corking bats or electricians creating an eye in the sky cheating system, historically, individuals and teams sometimes do whatever is necessary to gain an edge.’
- ‘Ballplayers will try to gain an edge whenever possible whether it’s doctoring baseballs, corking bats, or taking an illegal position in the batter’s box.’
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2usually as noun doctoringinformal Treat (someone) medically.
‘he contemplated giving up doctoring’
- ‘It’s much better to let that person be doctored.’
- ‘I’ve had some experience with doctoring because my father was a doctor.’
- ‘Successfully doctoring my wounds, I entered the living room.’
- ‘On this day, Sarah also worked for Mr. Riske’s son, Edward, who took in sick people for doctoring.’
- ‘The court then brings forth a poor Saxon who was healed by Rebecca’s doctoring.’
- ‘He took them hay from a storm-damaged feed store and doctored injured animals with medicine he had.’
- ‘Next, Robyn doctored the wounds with medicine that stung.’
- ‘In the meantime, she was still doctoring the band when one of its members had a sprained ankle or a cold.’
- ‘Carter, who regularly doctored his people, had enormous respect for Nassaw’s ability as a physician, for, in truth, Nassaw was one of the finest surgeons in colonial Virginia.’
- ‘Last night, in the absence of echinacea, I doctored myself with a fiery curry and generous amounts of a rather rough Kentucky bourbon.’
- ‘His great love, after doctoring, was sailing, mainly off the west coast of Scotland, in almost any weather, in a boat built to his design by his elder brother.’
- ‘Extensive training is provided for younger or newer staff members – an orientation time for them to learn, to grow and to change the way in which they may have nursed or doctored in the past.’
- ‘Presumably in artistic work, as opposed to lawyering or doctoring, there is a larger element of the unconscious or intuitive.’
- ‘She is into the ritual of it carefully taking out her first aid kit, then deciding where to cut, then doctoring up the cut, then watching it heal.’
- ‘By doctoring themselves, women would be spared the need to reveal embarrassing details to a doctor.’
- ‘She was soon doctoring his wounds with antiseptic cream.’
- ‘I have been doctoring this condition for 20-some years with not a lot of success.’
- ‘He’d been doctoring there since the town was founded, so most of the crosses in the graveyard were probably his patients.’
- ‘This person is not doctoring properly.’
- ‘They should let doctors get on with doctoring and encourage staff to support them.’
- 2.1 Remove the sexual organs of (an animal) so that it cannot reproduce.
- ‘Wait until your pet is doctored and feeling more like their cheery, upbeat self.’
- ‘Over the past year, about twice the usual number of cats and dogs were doctored.’
- 2.2 Repair (a machine)
‘ex-fleet cars which have been doctored’
Phrases
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be (just) what the doctor ordered
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informal Be very beneficial or desirable under the circumstances.
‘a 2–0 victory is just what the doctor ordered’
- ‘I know killer heels aren’t exactly what the doctor ordered, but I’ll take the psychological boost any day.’
- ‘Meantime, let’s just say that London is exactly what the doctor ordered – in other words, I am very happy to be here.’
- ‘I was thinking that for urban paranoids who don’t feel safe unless they’re in the deepest part of their apartments, North Dakota is just what the doctor ordered.’
- ‘But if your taste buds are yearning for real Caribbean cooking then the spicy West Indian Pepperpot – cooked in the traditional way – is just what the doctor ordered.’
- ‘The style is apparently a cross between ancient tragedy and TV news, which sounds like exactly what the doctor ordered for a sultry summer weeknight.’
- ‘A media-savvy leader with a vision, with seriousness of purpose, with honesty and decisiveness as his strongest points, a diplomat par excellence, he is exactly what the doctor ordered.’
- ‘Now, my legs still burning from the climb up this hill, my face glowing from sun and wind, I decide that a little nap is just what the doctor ordered.’
- ‘Holland struck the first blow for Midleton in the 23rd minute with a penalty but Carlow’s response a few minutes later was just what the doctor ordered.’
- ‘However, a nice mint herbal infusion to help the meal go down smoothly was just what the doctor ordered.’
- ‘With the US economy shaky and major corporate scandals marring his first year in office, a winnable war against an old enemy is just what the doctor ordered.’
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go for the doctor
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informal Make an all-out effort.
‘he will go for the doctor in Parliament next week’
- ‘It’s good to see the Freo Farmers go for the doctor when the doggies started snapping at their heels.’
- ‘When he ‘went for the doctor’ to scoop up a dropped ‘hospital pass’ and then sprinted 75 metres for a solo try, it meant that the top Rugby side had the Cup in its keeping.’
make an effort, try hard, strive, endeavour, apply oneself, do one’s best, do all one can, do one’s utmost, give one’s all, make every effort, spare no effort, be at pains, put oneself out
Origin
Middle English (in the senses ‘learned person’ and ‘Doctor of the Church’): via Old French from Latin doctor ‘teacher’ (from docere ‘teach’).
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