DOSE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does dose mean? 

• DOSE (noun)
  The noun DOSE has 4 senses:

1. a measured portion of medicine taken at any one time

2. the quantity of an active agent (substance or radiation) taken in or absorbed at any one time

3. a communicable infection transmitted by sexual intercourse or genital contact

4. street name for lysergic acid diethylamide

  Familiarity information: DOSE used as a noun is uncommon.

• DOSE (verb)
  The verb DOSE has 2 senses:

1. treat with an agent; add (an agent) to

2. administer a drug to

  Familiarity information: DOSE used as a verb is rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• DOSE (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A measured portion of medicine taken at any one time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

dosage; dose

Hypernyms ("dose" is a kind of...):

medicament; medication; medicinal drug; medicine ((medicine) something that treats or prevents or alleviates the symptoms of disease)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "dose"):

booster; booster dose; booster shot; recall dose (an additional dose that makes sure the first dose was effective)

draft; draught (a dose of liquid medicine)

hit (a dose of a narcotic drug)

lethal dose (the size dose that will cause death)

lozenge; pill; tab; tablet (a dose of medicine in the form of a small pellet)

Derivation:

dose (administer a drug to)

Sense 2

Meaning:

The quantity of an active agent (substance or radiation) taken in or absorbed at any one time

Classified under:

Nouns denoting quantities and units of measure

Synonyms:

dosage; dose

Hypernyms ("dose" is a kind of...):

indefinite quantity (an estimated quantity)

Derivation:

dose (treat with an agent; add (an agent) to)

Sense 3

Meaning:

A communicable infection transmitted by sexual intercourse or genital contact

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Synonyms:

Cupid's disease; Cupid's itch; dose; sexually transmitted disease; social disease; STD; VD; venereal disease; venereal infection; Venus's curse

Hypernyms ("dose" is a kind of...):

contagion; contagious disease (any disease easily transmitted by contact)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "dose"):

genital herpes; herpes genitalis (an infection caused by herpes simplex virus type 2 (HSV-2) that is usually transmitted by sexual contact; marked by recurrent attacks of painful eruptions on the skin and mucous membranes of the genital area)

clap; gonorrhea; gonorrhoea (a common venereal disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae; symptoms are painful urination and pain around the urethra)

granuloma inguinale; granuloma venereum (a venereal disease caused by a bacterium of the genus Calymmatobacterium; characterized by a pimply rash of the skin in the genital and groin region)

lues; lues venerea; pox; syph; syphilis (a common venereal disease caused by the treponema pallidum spirochete; symptoms change through progressive stages; can be congenital (transmitted through the placenta))

LGV; lymphogranuloma venereum; lymphopathia venereum (infectious disease caused by a species of chlamydia bacterium; transmitted by sexual contact; characterized by genital lesions and swelling of lymph nodes in the groin)

chlamydia (a sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria of the genus Chlamydia)

Sense 4

Meaning:

Street name for lysergic acid diethylamide

Classified under:

Nouns denoting man-made objects

Synonyms:

acid; back breaker; battery-acid; dose; dot; Elvis; loony toons; Lucy in the sky with diamonds; pane; superman; window pane; Zen

Hypernyms ("dose" is a kind of...):

LSD; lysergic acid diethylamide (a powerful hallucinogenic drug manufactured from lysergic acid)

• DOSE (verb)

Present simple: I / you / we / they dose    ... he / she / it doses   
Past simple: dosed   
Past participle: dosed   
-ing form: dosing   

Sense 1

Meaning:

Treat with an agent; add (an agent) to

Classified under:

Verbs of size, temperature change, intensifying, etc.

Context example:

The ray dosed the paint

Hypernyms (to "dose" is one way to...):

process; treat (subject to a process or treatment, with the aim of readying for some purpose, improving, or remedying a condition)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s something

Derivation:

dosage; dose (the quantity of an active agent (substance or radiation) taken in or absorbed at any one time)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Administer a drug to

Classified under:

Verbs of grooming, dressing and bodily care

Synonyms:

dose; drug

Context example:

They drugged the kidnapped tourist

Hypernyms (to "dose" is one way to...):

medicate; medicine (treat medicinally, treat with medicine)

Domain category:

medicine; practice of medicine (the learned profession that is mastered by graduate training in a medical school and that is devoted to preventing or alleviating or curing diseases and injuries)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dose"):

anaesthetise; anaesthetize; anesthetise; anesthetize; put out; put under (administer an anesthetic drug to)

dope; dope up (give a narcotic to)

o.d.; overdose (dose too heavily)

narcotise; narcotize (administer narcotics to)

poison (administer poison to)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

dosage (the quantity of an active agent (substance or radiation) taken in or absorbed at any one time)

dose (a measured portion of medicine taken at any one time)

 Context examples 

When administered intravenously in low doses, this agent may convert methemoglobin to hemoglobin.

(Methylene Blue, NCI Thesaurus)

The total X-ray dose an individual was exposed to during a specified time period.

(Accumulated X-Ray Dose Data, NCI Thesaurus)

A gel preparation, with metered dose valves, which allow for the delivery of a uniform quantity of gel upon each activation.

(Metered Gel Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

A gel contained in a device with valves that permits the release of a uniform dose of gel that composed of active and/or inert ingredient(s) upon activation.

(Metered Gel Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus)

Another characteristic of acetaminophen is its liver toxicity when taken at high doses.

(Acetaminophen Pathway, NCI Thesaurus/BIOCARTA)

A liquid medication delivered as a mist to be inhaled as a measured dose

(Metered Dose Inhaler Dosage Form, NCI Thesaurus)

The total dose of radiation is also given over a shorter period of time (fewer days) compared to standard radiation therapy.

(Accelerated-fraction radiation therapy, NCI Dictionary)

Radiation treatment in which the total dose of radiation is given over a shorter period of time (fewer days) compared to standard radiation therapy.

(Accelerated radiation therapy, NCI Dictionary)

Many participants experienced issues that typically accompany high-dose immunosuppressive therapy, such as infections and gastrointestinal problems.

(Immune System Reset May Halt Multiple Sclerosis Progression, NIH)

Studies in mice often use doses that are much higher than those known to be safe to use in humans.

(Blood pressure drug shows promise for treating Parkinson’s and dementia in animal studies, University of Cambridge)