Dope originally meant a thick liquid or paste, like the varnish once used to coat airplane wings.

In the 1980s, the word took a completely different turn. In hip-hop culture, dope became slang for something excellent or cool. A dope basketball move is incredibly skillful. A dope song makes you want to listen to it over and over. When your friend shows you their science project and you say “that's dope,” you mean it's genuinely impressive.

The word can also describe someone who acts foolishly or doesn't think things through. If someone makes a careless mistake, you might hear someone call them a dope, though this usage is becoming less common and can sound unkind.

The word also appears in phrases like dope sheet (a detailed information document).