This work reported the simple and direct detection of 3,3',5,5'-tetrabromobisphenol A (TBBPA) by a poly-dopamine imprinted electrochemical sensor. The imprinted film was directly prepared by electropolymerization of dopamine on a glassy carbon electrode in the presence of template molecule, and then characterized using electrochemical probe of potassium ferricyanide, scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. It was found that the obtained sensing film greatly enhanced the oxidation signals of TBBPA due to strong accumulation ability. The influences of electropolymerization conditions (e.g. template concentration, scan cycles and scan rates), accumulation time and pH value were studied. The developed sensing platform exhibited good reproducibility, excellent sensitivity and selectivity, offering a low detection limit (0.27 nM) and a linear range from 1 to 50 nM. It was applied for TBBPA detection in plastic a-waste samples, and the results were consistent with those obtained by high-performance liquid chromatography.