dupe

1
[ doop, dyoop ]
See synonyms for dupe on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a person who is easily deceived or fooled; gull.

  2. a person who unquestioningly or unwittingly serves a cause or another person: a dupe of the opponents.

verb (used with object),duped, dup·ing.
  1. to make a dupe of; deceive; delude; trick.

Origin of dupe

1
First recorded in 1675–85; from French; Middle French duppe for unattested tête d'uppe “head of hoopoe,” i.e., “fool” (compare tête de fou ), from unattested Vulgar Latin uppa, Latin upupa “hoopoe,” a bird thought to be especially stupid; cf. hoopoe

Other words from dupe

  • dup·a·ble, adjective
  • dup·a·bil·i·ty [doo-puh-bil-i-tee, dyoo-], /ˌdu pəˈbɪl ɪ ti, ˌdyu-/, noun
  • dup·er, noun
  • un·dup·a·ble, adjective

Other definitions for dupe (2 of 2)

dupe2
[ doop, dyoop ]

noun
  1. Movies.

    • a duplicate picture negative used for making additional release prints or for making special effects to be inserted in the release negative.

    • the procedure for producing such a duplicate.

  1. Television. a duplicate videotape obtained by electronic printing of the original videotape.

verb (used with or without object),duped, dup·ing.
adjective

Origin of dupe

2
First recorded in 1895–90; by shortening

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use dupe in a sentence

  • In these houses, the trial of skill was marvellous, and it was not uncommon, to see as many dupers as duped at each table.

    The Sharper Detected and Exposed | Jean-Eugne Robert-Houdin
  • The race-ground had its customary compliment of knaves and fools—the dupers and the duped.

    Pelham, Complete | Edward Bulwer-Lytton
  • Everywhere, even in the small hamlets and the agricultural districts, the dupes rose against their dupers.

  • Not by such credulous selfish natures as his can tricksters be tricked and dupers duped.

    London's Heart | B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon
  • And if we are dupes are we not on that very account dupers also?

    Human, All Too Human | Friedrich Nietzsche

British Dictionary definitions for dupe

dupe

/ (djuːp) /


noun
  1. a person who is easily deceived

  2. a person who unwittingly serves as the tool of another person or power

verb
  1. (tr) to deceive, esp by trickery; make a dupe or tool of; cheat; fool

Origin of dupe

1
C17: from French, from Old French duppe, contraction of de huppe of (a) hoopoe (from Latin upupa); from the bird's reputation for extreme stupidity

Derived forms of dupe

  • dupable, adjective
  • dupability, noun
  • duper, noun
  • dupery, noun

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012