1
as in nerd
a person slavishly devoted to intellectual or academic pursuits
we became friends when we discovered we were both dorks who had memorized the periodic table in high school
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2
as in idiot
a stupid person
he tried to be suave, but she still thought he was a dork
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Recent Examples of dork
The preseason is going to be wild — must-see TV for football dorks like me.
—
Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 3 June 2024
Hechinger is the perfect choice for the role, bringing just the right of optimism and obliviousness to an endearingly pathetic dork who finds the opportunity to be heroic.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 Apr. 2025
Quaid has gotten good at playing a fake-feminist dork: seemingly funny and well-meaning, his charm a thin veneer for a lot of seething, nerdy resentment (his work in Scream is another fine example).
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025
But talk to people who watch a wide swath of competitive reality shows — the real hard-core gamer dorks (complimentary) — and many will tell you that Big Brother is the best, most pure version of a social-strategy game.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dork
Dieter Kurtenbach, The Mercury News, 3 June 2024
Hechinger is the perfect choice for the role, bringing just the right of optimism and obliviousness to an endearingly pathetic dork who finds the opportunity to be heroic.
—Peter Debruge, Variety, 2 Apr. 2025
Quaid has gotten good at playing a fake-feminist dork: seemingly funny and well-meaning, his charm a thin veneer for a lot of seething, nerdy resentment (his work in Scream is another fine example).
—David Sims, The Atlantic, 3 Feb. 2025
But talk to people who watch a wide swath of competitive reality shows — the real hard-core gamer dorks (complimentary) — and many will tell you that Big Brother is the best, most pure version of a social-strategy game.
—Joe Reid, Vulture, 30 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for dork
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dork
Noun
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Bike nerds who are fans of data will dig the ELEMNT Bolt V2.—
Drew Zieff,
Outside Online,
8 July 2025
-
Its list, which includes countless bottles of dead stock, boasts vintage spirits that would impress any booze nerd.—
Esther Tseng,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 June 2025
Noun
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For the theater geeks, watch experimental shows at the Fringe Festival.—
Caroline Ritzie,
The Enquirer,
2 July 2025
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Some questions are for casual fans; others are strictly for the hardcore geeks.—
Rob Sheffield,
Rolling Stone,
29 June 2025
Noun
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So, the parallel thing that I’ve been frustrated by recently is not just calling Trump stupid, but calling Trump voters stupid.—
Drew Broussard
May 22,
Literary Hub,
22 May 2025
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Sometimes too stupid is actually smartski but sometimes is just stupid stupid.—
Caroline Downey,
National Review,
27 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Dork.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dork. Accessed 19 Jul. 2025.
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