Entry 2 senses · 2 variants Webster, 1913 Doctorate /dŏkʹtər-ət/ · Doc·tor·ate · IPA /ˈdɑk.tɚ.ət/ n. v. t. 01 n. The degree, title, or rank, of a doctor. 1. The degree, title, or rank, of a doctor. 02 v. t. To make (one) a doctor. 1. To make (one) a doctor. “He was bred . . . in Oxford and there doctorated.” — Fuller.