From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishdoctordoc‧tor1 /ˈdɒktə $ ˈdɑːktər/ ●●● S1 W1 noun [countable] 1 MN (written abbreviation Dr) someone who is trained to treat people who are ill → GP She was treated by her local doctor. I’d like to make an appointment to see Dr Pugh.the doctor’s informal (=the place where your doctor works) ‘Where’s Sandy today?’ ‘I think she’s at the doctor’s.’2 SECsomeone who holds the highest level of degree given by a university → doctoral a Doctor of Law3 → be just what the doctor orderedCOLLOCATIONSverbsgo to the doctorI’d been having bad headaches so I went to the doctor.see a doctor (also visit a doctor American English) (=go to the doctor)Have you seen a doctor about it yet?ask a doctor (also consult a doctor formal)If you have any of these symptoms, you should consult a doctor.call a doctor (=telephone one, especially to ask them to come to you)His mother was very worried and called the doctor.get a doctor (=arrange for one to come to you)In the middle of the night we decided to get the doctor.a doctor examines somebodyThe doctor examined her and said she had a chest infection.a doctor prescribes something (=writes an order for medicine for someone)My doctor prescribed a course of antibiotics.a doctor diagnoses flu/depression etc (=says what illness someone has)The doctor diagnosed malaria.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + doctora family doctor (=who treats all the members of a family)We’ve had the same family doctor for fifteen years.somebody’s local doctor (=working near where you live)You should go and see your local doctor.a hospital doctor British English (=working in a hospital)Junior hospital doctors have to work very long hours.THESAURUSdoctor someone who treats people who are ill, who has completed a long course of study at medical schoolIf you have bad chest pains, you should see a doctor.GP British English a doctor who is trained in general medicine and who treats the people who live in a local areaMy GP told me that I must lose weight.physician /fəˈzɪʃən/ formal especially American English a doctorthe American physician, Dr James Tyler Kentquack informal someone who pretends to be a doctorMy father felt that people practicing alternative medicine were just a bunch of quacks. the medical profession doctors and nurses considered as a groupThis view is widely accepted among the medical profession.surgeon /ˈsɜːdʒən $ ˈsɜːr-/ a doctor who does operations in a hospitalOne of the world’s top heart surgeons performed the operation.specialist a doctor with special knowledge about a particular illness, part of the body, or type of treatmentThe new drug is being tested by cancer specialists.an eye specialistconsultant British English a very senior doctor in a hospital, with a lot of knowledge about a particular area of medicineThe consultant said that he did not think it was cancer.paramedic someone who has been trained to treat sick or injured people, especially at the scene of an accidentParamedics treated him for shock. vet (also veterinarian especially American English) a doctor who treats animalsWe took the cat to the vet.paediatrician British English, pediatrician American English a doctor who treats children who are sickgynaecologist British English, gynecologist American English a doctor who treats medical conditions and illnesses that affect women’s bodiesobstetrician a doctor who deals with the birth of childrenradiographer someone whose job is to take X-rays or to treat people using an X-ray machinea doctor who treats mental illnesspsychiatrist /saɪˈkaɪətrɪst $ sə-/ a doctor who is trained to treat people with mental illnessesIn order to become a psychiatrist, you first need a medical degree.psychologist /saɪˈkɒlədʒɪst $ -ˈkɑː-/ a scientist who studies and is trained in psychology (=the study of the mind)Many psychologists believe that aggression is a learned behaviour.shrink informal a humorous word for a psychiatristtherapist a trained person whose job is to help people with their emotional problems, especially by talking to them and asking them to talk about their feelingssomeone who is studying to be a doctormedical student a student who is studying medicine in order to be a doctorJames is a medical student at Edinburgh university.intern American English a student who has almost finished studying to be a doctor, and who is working in a hospital
Examples from the Corpus
doctor• Doctor, I keep getting a pain in my throat.• Tracy is interested in journalism, but Sarah wants to be a doctor.• She looks very ill - you'd better call a doctor.• One of the Peckhams' sons is a poet, another is an environmental consultant, and the third is a doctor.• A partnership needs to be established between doctors and management with both controlling resources so that they are interdependent.• The program has been hailed by doctors as a model for other developing countries, where few can afford expensive treatment.• She further offended doctors by clinging to patently wrong ideas.• This is a particularly cruel irony because as the 1911 census revealed doctors had the smallest families of all categories of occupations.• I'd like to make an appointment to see Doctor Patel some time this morning.• "Where's Karen?" "She's at the doctor's."• I went to see the doctor about my cough but she said there was nothing wrong with me.• I made an appointment with Doctor Sangha for next Monday.doctordoctor2 verb [transitive] 1 TRICK/DECEIVEto dishonestly change something in order to gain an advantage He had doctored his passport to pass her off as his daughter. There are concerns that some players have been doctoring the ball.2 INJUREto add something harmful to food or drink Paul suspected that his drink had been doctored.3 MHHBAto remove part of the sex organs of an animal to prevent it from having babies SYN neuter You should have your cat doctored.4 to give someone medical treatment, especially when you are not a doctor Bill doctored the horses with a strong-smelling ointment.→ See Verb tableExamples from the Corpus
doctor• Photographs can easily be doctored.• Gina gently doctored Clint's injured hand.• Their liquor has been nicely doctored - gave them an extra ration of ale to celebrate my arrival!• Nancy likes to doctor her coffee with a shot of whisky.• Two other writers were brought in to doctor the script before they finally returned to finish their task.From Longman Business Dictionarydoctordoc‧tor1 /ˈdɒktəˈdɑːktər/ noun [countable]1someone who is trained to treat sick or injured people2someone who has a DOCTORATE from a universitydoctordoctor2 verb [transitive] to change something, especially in order to deceive peoplePolice uncovered 43 cars for sale with doctored mileage readings.→ See Verb tableOrigin doctor1 (1300-1400) Old French doctour, from Latin doctor “teacher”, from docere “to teach” 