diff --git a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ParseResult.scala b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ParseResult.scala
index 11f9cd0d72e7..40f76d77ca32 100644
--- a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ParseResult.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ParseResult.scala
@@ -60,6 +60,15 @@ object TypeOf {
   val command = ":type"
 }
 
+/**
+ * A command that is used to display the documentation associated with
+ * the given expression.
+ */
+case class DocOf(expr: String) extends Command
+object DocOf {
+  val command = ":doc"
+}
+
 /** `:imports` lists the imports that have been explicitly imported during the
  *  session
  */
@@ -89,6 +98,7 @@ case object Help extends Command {
       |:load <path>             interpret lines in a file
       |:quit                    exit the interpreter
       |:type <expression>       evaluate the type of the given expression
+      |:doc <expression>        print the documentation for the given expresssion
       |:imports                 show import history
       |:reset                   reset the repl to its initial state, forgetting all session entries
     """.stripMargin
@@ -117,6 +127,7 @@ object ParseResult {
         case Imports.command => Imports
         case Load.command => Load(arg)
         case TypeOf.command => TypeOf(arg)
+        case DocOf.command => DocOf(arg)
         case _ => UnknownCommand(cmd)
       }
       case _ =>
diff --git a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ReplCompiler.scala b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ReplCompiler.scala
index 825799429e4b..567b3ad2daea 100644
--- a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ReplCompiler.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ReplCompiler.scala
@@ -3,6 +3,8 @@ package dotty.tools.repl
 import dotty.tools.backend.jvm.GenBCode
 import dotty.tools.dotc.ast.Trees._
 import dotty.tools.dotc.ast.{tpd, untpd}
+import dotty.tools.dotc.ast.tpd.TreeOps
+import dotty.tools.dotc.core.Comments.CommentsContext
 import dotty.tools.dotc.core.Contexts._
 import dotty.tools.dotc.core.Decorators._
 import dotty.tools.dotc.core.Flags._
@@ -10,6 +12,7 @@ import dotty.tools.dotc.core.Names._
 import dotty.tools.dotc.core.Phases
 import dotty.tools.dotc.core.Phases.Phase
 import dotty.tools.dotc.core.StdNames._
+import dotty.tools.dotc.core.Symbols._
 import dotty.tools.dotc.reporting.diagnostic.messages
 import dotty.tools.dotc.typer.{FrontEnd, ImportInfo}
 import dotty.tools.dotc.util.Positions._
@@ -164,6 +167,54 @@ class ReplCompiler(val directory: AbstractFile) extends Compiler {
       }
     }
 
+  def docOf(expr: String)(implicit state: State): Result[String] = {
+    implicit val ctx: Context = state.context
+
+    /**
+     * Extract the "selected" symbol from `tree`.
+     *
+     * Because the REPL typechecks an expression, special syntax is needed to get the documentation
+     * of certain symbols:
+     *
+     * - To select the documentation of classes, the user needs to pass a call to the class' constructor
+     *   (e.g. `new Foo` to select `class Foo`)
+     * - When methods are overloaded, the user needs to enter a lambda to specify which functions he wants
+     *   (e.g. `foo(_: Int)` to select `def foo(x: Int)` instead of `def foo(x: String)`
+     *
+     * This function returns the right symbol for the received expression, and all the symbols that are
+     * overridden.
+     */
+    def extractSymbols(tree: tpd.Tree): Iterator[Symbol] = {
+      val sym = tree match {
+        case tree if tree.isInstantiation => tree.symbol.owner
+        case tpd.closureDef(defdef) => defdef.rhs.symbol
+        case _ => tree.symbol
+      }
+      Iterator(sym) ++ sym.allOverriddenSymbols
+    }
+
+    typeCheck(expr).map {
+      case ValDef(_, _, Block(stats, _)) if stats.nonEmpty =>
+        val stat = stats.last.asInstanceOf[tpd.Tree]
+        if (stat.tpe.isError) stat.tpe.show
+        else {
+          val docCtx = ctx.docCtx.get
+          val symbols = extractSymbols(stat)
+          val doc = symbols.collectFirst {
+            case sym if docCtx.docstrings.contains(sym) =>
+              docCtx.docstrings(sym).raw
+          }
+          doc.getOrElse(s"// No doc for `${expr}`")
+        }
+
+      case _ =>
+        """Couldn't display the documentation for your expression, so sorry :(
+          |
+          |Please report this to my masters at github.com/lampepfl/dotty
+          """.stripMargin
+    }
+  }
+
   final def typeCheck(expr: String, errorsAllowed: Boolean = false)(implicit state: State): Result[tpd.ValDef] = {
 
     def wrapped(expr: String, sourceFile: SourceFile, state: State)(implicit ctx: Context): Result[untpd.PackageDef] = {
diff --git a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ReplDriver.scala b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ReplDriver.scala
index 278a1203d5bb..3d9b9bb6184d 100644
--- a/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ReplDriver.scala
+++ b/compiler/src/dotty/tools/repl/ReplDriver.scala
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ class ReplDriver(settings: Array[String],
 
   /** Create a fresh and initialized context with IDE mode enabled */
   private[this] def initialCtx = {
-    val rootCtx = initCtx.fresh.addMode(Mode.ReadPositions).addMode(Mode.Interactive)
+    val rootCtx = initCtx.fresh.addMode(Mode.ReadPositions).addMode(Mode.Interactive).addMode(Mode.ReadComments)
     val ictx = setup(settings, rootCtx)._2
     ictx.base.initialize()(ictx)
     ictx
@@ -338,6 +338,13 @@ class ReplDriver(settings: Array[String],
       )
       state
 
+    case DocOf(expr) =>
+      compiler.docOf(expr)(newRun(state)).fold(
+        displayErrors,
+        res => out.println(SyntaxHighlighting(res))
+      )
+      state
+
     case Quit =>
       // end of the world!
       state
diff --git a/compiler/test/dotty/tools/repl/DocTests.scala b/compiler/test/dotty/tools/repl/DocTests.scala
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..4cf8e03bb31e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/compiler/test/dotty/tools/repl/DocTests.scala
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+package dotty.tools
+package repl
+
+import org.junit.Test
+import org.junit.Assert.assertEquals
+
+class DocTests extends ReplTest {
+
+  @Test def docOfDef =
+    eval("/** doc */ def foo = 0").andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfVal =
+    eval("/** doc */ val foo = 0").andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfObject =
+    eval("/** doc */ object Foo").andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("Foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfClass =
+    eval("/** doc */ class Foo").andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("new Foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfTrait =
+    eval("/** doc */ trait Foo").andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("new Foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfDefInObject =
+    eval("object O { /** doc */ def foo = 0 }").andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("O.foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfValInObject =
+    eval("object O { /** doc */ val foo = 0 }").andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("O.foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfObjectInObject =
+    eval("object O { /** doc */ object Foo }").andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("O.Foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfClassInObject =
+    eval("object O { /** doc */ class Foo }").andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("new O.Foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfTraitInObject =
+    eval("object O { /** doc */ trait Foo }").andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("new O.Foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfDefInClass =
+    eval(
+      """class C { /** doc */ def foo = 0 }
+        |val c = new C
+      """.stripMargin).andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("c.foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfValInClass =
+    eval(
+      """class C { /** doc */ val foo = 0 }
+        |val c = new C
+      """.stripMargin).andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("c.foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfObjectInClass =
+    eval(
+      """class C { /** doc */ object Foo }
+        |val c = new C
+      """.stripMargin).andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("c.Foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfClassInClass =
+    eval(
+      """class C { /** doc */ class Foo }
+        |val c = new C
+      """.stripMargin).andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("new c.Foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfTraitInClass =
+    eval(
+      """class C { /** doc */ trait Foo }
+        |val c = new C
+      """.stripMargin).andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("new c.Foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfOverloadedDef =
+    eval(
+      """object O {
+        |  /** doc0 */ def foo(x: Int) = x
+        |  /** doc1 */ def foo(x: String) = x
+        |}
+      """.stripMargin).andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc0 */", doc("O.foo(_: Int)"))
+      assertEquals("/** doc1 */", doc("O.foo(_: String)"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfInherited =
+    eval(
+      """class C { /** doc */ def foo = 0 }
+        |object O extends C
+      """.stripMargin).andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc */", doc("O.foo"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfOverride =
+    eval(
+      """abstract class A {
+        |  /** doc0 */ def foo(x: Int): Int = x + 1
+        |  /** doc1 */ def foo(x: String): String = x + "foo"
+        |}
+        |object O extends A {
+        |  override def foo(x: Int): Int = x
+        |  /** overridden doc */ override def foo(x: String): String = x
+        |}
+      """.stripMargin).andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** doc0 */", doc("O.foo(_: Int)"))
+      assertEquals("/** overridden doc */", doc("O.foo(_: String)"))
+    }
+
+  @Test def docOfOverrideObject =
+    eval(
+      """abstract class A {
+        |  abstract class Companion { /** doc0 */ def bar: Int }
+        |  /** companion */ def foo: Companion
+        |}
+        |object O extends A {
+        |  override object foo extends Companion {
+        |    override def bar: Int = 0
+        |  }
+        |}
+      """.stripMargin).andThen { implicit s =>
+      assertEquals("/** companion */", doc("O.foo"))
+      assertEquals("/** doc0 */", doc("O.foo.bar"))
+    }
+
+  private def eval(code: String): State =
+    fromInitialState { implicit s => run(code) }
+
+  private def doc(expr: String)(implicit s: State): String = {
+    storedOutput()
+    run(s":doc $expr")
+    storedOutput().trim
+  }
+
+}