A manganese doped metal–organic framework composite (MnDUT-52) was fabricated by a facile solvothermal method and applied as an adsorbent for dispersive solid phase extraction (DSPE) of trace diphenyl ether herbicides (Des) in water samples. The doped material exhibited large surface area (527.3 m2/g) and a higher zeta potential (43.2 mV) compared with its precursor (8.57 mV). And the quantitative parameters affecting the DSPE process (i.e., adsorbent amount, adsorption time, pH, ionic strength, desorption solvent and desorption volume) were optimized in detail. Under the optimal conditions, MnDUT-52 exhibited good reusability (6 times reuse, RSDs ≤ 5.8 %). Notably, the conjugation, hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions contributed to the good adsorption of Des by MnDUT-52. Finally, a method coupled with high-performance liquid chromatography-ultraviolet (HPLC-UV) was developed. It provided wide linear range (0.2–300 ng/mL), low detection limits (0.06–0.10 ng/mL) and extraction recovery (82.4–102.5 %). The developed method was successfully applied for the fast and sensitive determination of Des in water samples.