what the doctor ordered Definition

doctor
noun

1. Someone trained and qualified to practise medicine.

Thesaurus: physician, MD, medic, clinician; general practitioner, GP, internist, gynecologist, primary-care physician.
(N Amer)
2a. A dentist;
(N Amer)
2b. A veterinary surgeon.
3. Someone holding a doctorate.
4. angling.
A type of fly.

verb doctored, doctoring

1. To falsify (eg information).

Thesaurus: change, forge, falsify, alter, misrepresent, fake, fudge.
2. To tamper with something; to drug (food or drink).

Thesaurus: adulterate, alter, tamper with, fix.
3. colloq
To sterilize or castrate (an animal).
4. often facetious
To give medical treatment to someone.

Idiom: what the doctor ordered

colloq
The very thing that is needed.

Etymology: 14c, originally meaning ‘a very learned person': Latin, meaning ‘teacher'.