dote

verb

ˈdōt 

doted; doting

intransitive verb

1

: to exhibit mental decline of or like that of old age : be in one's dotage

2

: to be lavish or excessive in one's attention, fondness, or affection

—usually used with on

doted on her only grandchild

doter noun

dotingly

ˈdō-tiŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms

• adore
• adulate
• canonize
• deify
• hero-worship
• idolize
• worship

Examples of dote in a Sentence

doted on her only grandchild

Recent Examples on the Web

Toddler’s Guilt Trip Work To Perfection On Grandma: ‘Caved In Too Quick’ By Jack Beresford Senior Life and Trends Reporter 0 A doting grandmother showed precisely why she's considered a soft touch around her granddaughter in a hilarious video posted to social media. —Gord Magill, Newsweek, 22 Dec. 2024

In Playing Nice, Norton and Algar are doting parents Pete and Maddie. —Max Goldbart, Deadline, 2 Dec. 2024

The narrator of this wonderfully off-kilter novel, an elderly man, recalls his doting grandmother and his boyhood infatuation with a girl who danced on the balcony opposite his family’s apartment, in Naples. —The New Yorker, 25 Nov. 2024

Read on to see the adorable photos and sweet tributes shared by the doting parents. —Alex Apatoff, People.com, 24 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English; akin to Middle Low German dotten to be foolish

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing dote

• dote on/upon

Kids Definition

dote

verb

ˈdōt 

doted; doting

: to be excessive in one's attention or fondness

—usually used with on

doted on their grandchild

dotingly

ˈdōt-iŋ-lē 

adverb