Entry · catalog no. 2012
dope
/ — /pending
adjective · Northeast — New York City, then nationwide · 2026
✓ Verified
1.
Excellent; of high quality. The praise borrows the language of narcotics on purpose — this is good enough to be habit-forming.
“That verse was dope, run it back.”
Origin & Attribution
Reclaimed by hip-hop in the 1980s, turning a word the state used to criminalize Black neighborhoods into a term of praise. Standard in New York rap by the mid-1980s and nationwide by the end of the decade.
Region of origin
West
Midwest
N.East
South
The Northeast
Northeast — New York City, then nationwide · 2026
Spoken by
Northeast — New York City, then nationwide
$DOPEThe Record · cultural traction
▲ Rising0 yrs
ahead of the mainstream
12/100
peak cultural energy
Introduced to English by the culture — logged here before the mainstream caught on.
Cultural usage — the recordMainstream search interest
First used
2026
in the culture
Recorded here
2026
point of first record
Cultural energy indexed from documented usage, search interest, and citation frequency. The recorded date is the archive’s permanent point of record.
Hear it spoken
By region — how it actually sounds
@bxgriot
The Bronx, NY
@phillyanne
Philadelphia, PA
Contribute your pronunciation
Citations & Sources
■
"Dope Man," N.W.A — single · 1987
submitted
■
"Straight Outta Compton," N.W.A — album · 1988
submitted
■
+ Cite a sourceGreen's Dictionary of Slang, dating evidence for the adjectival sense — reference · 1980s citations
submitted
See also