Did you know?
Click any word in a definition or example to find the entry for that word
dose
- definition
What are red words?
90% of the time, speakers of English use just 7,500 words in speech and writing.These words appear in red, and are graded with stars. One-star words are frequent, two-star words are morefrequent, and three-star words are the most frequent.
Thesaurus
The thesaurus of synonyms and related words is fully integrated into the dictionary entries. Click on the T button in an entry to review the synonyms and related words for that meaning.
more
/dəʊs/ 
| singular | dose |
| plural | doses |
- 1medical an amount of a drug that has been measured so that you can take itdose of:
If you are in pain, increase the dose of painkillers.
a small/low dose:Taking a low dose of aspirin can help prevent heart attacks.
a fatal/lethal dose (=an amount that will kill you):a lethal dose of morphine
See also
medicine
phrases
in small doses
like a dose of salts
British informal old-fashioned
This is the British English definition of dose. View American English definition of dose.
Change your default dictionary and thesaurus to American English.
showmance
a romantic relationship between two members of the cast of a play, film or television series
BuzzWord ArticleMore BuzzWords
BuzzWord archiveWord of the Day
soapstone
a type of soft stone that is often carved to make decorations
More submissions
view entriesBlog
A must for anyone with an interest in the changing face of language. The Macmillan Dictionary blog explores English as it is spoken around the world today.
global English and language change from our blog