a person licensed to practice medicine, as a physician, surgeon, dentist, or veterinarian.

a person who has been awarded a doctor's degree

He is a Doctor of Philosophy.

Doctor of the Church.

Older Slang . a cook, as at a camp or on a ship.

Machinery . any of various minor mechanical devices, esp. one designed to remedy an undesirable characteristic of an automatic process.

Angling . any of several artificial flies, esp. the silver doctor.

an eminent scholar and teacher.

to give medical treatment to; act as a physician to

He feels he can doctor himself for just a common cold.

to treat (an ailment); apply remedies to

He doctored his cold at home.

to restore to original or working condition; repair; mend

She was able to doctor the chipped vase with a little plastic cement.

to tamper with; falsify

He doctored the birthdate on his passport.

to add a foreign substance to; adulterate

Someone had doctored the drink.

to revise, alter, or adapt (a photograph, manuscript, etc.) in order to serve a specific purpose or to improve the material

to doctor a play.

to award a doctorate to

He did his undergraduate work in the U.S. and was doctored at Oxford.

to practice medicine.

Older Use . to take medicine; receive medical treatment.

Metallurgy . (of an article being electroplated) to receive plating unevenly.

noun

patient

verb

harm , hurt , injure , clean , purify

noun

bones , doc , expert , general practitioner , healer , intern , md , medic , medical person , medico , physician , professor * , quack * , scientist , specialist , surgeonnotes:the word doctor is derived from latin doctus \'having been taught; learned\' (from docere \'to teach\'); physician comes from latin physica \'natural science; physics\' , (ignorant) quack , allopath , attending physician , cardiologist , clinician , diplomate , empiric , externe , gynecologist , homeopath , interne , leech , locum , locum tenens , medical practitioner , pediatrician , practitioner , psychiatrist , psychologist , resident , savant

verb

administer , apply medication , attend , do up , fix , give treatment , medicate , mend , overhaul , patch up * , rebuild , recondition , reconstruct , repair , revamp , supplynotes:the word doctor is derived from latin doctus \'having been taught; learned\' (from docere \'to teach\'); physician comes from latin physica \'natural science; physics\' , add to , alter , change , cut , deacon , debase , dilute , disguise , dope up , falsify , fudge * , gloss , load , misrepresent , mix with , sophisticate , spike * , tamper with , water down , weightnotes:the word doctor is derived from latin doctus \'having been taught; learned\' (from docere \'to teach\'); physician comes from latin physica \'natural science; physics\' , fix up , patch , right , fabricate , fictionalize , fictionize , (slang) tamper with , adulterate , expert , healer , internist , medic , medico , physician , professor , quack , sawbones , scholar , scientist , surgeon , treat