View synonyms for

drug

1

[ druhg ]

noun

  1. Pharmacology. a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.
  2. (in federal law)
    1. any substance recognized in the official pharmacopoeia or formulary of the nation.
    2. any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals.
    3. any article, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or other animals.
    4. any substance intended for use as a component of such a drug, but not a device or a part of a device.
  3. a habit-forming medicinal or illicit substance, especially a narcotic.
  4. drugs,
    1. chemical substances prepared and sold as pharmaceutical items, either by prescription or over the counter.
    2. personal hygienic items sold in a drugstore, as toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.
  5. Obsolete. any ingredient used in chemistry, pharmacy, dyeing, or the like.


verb (used with object)

drugged, drugging.
  1. to administer a medicinal drug to.
  2. to stupefy or poison with a drug.
  3. to mix (food or drink) with a drug, especially a stupefying, narcotic, or poisonous drug.
  4. to administer anything nauseous to.

verb phrase

  1. Informal. to take a drug, especially an illegal drug: athletes who drug up in the off-season.

    kids hiding under the school bleachers to drug up;

    athletes who drug up in the off-season.

drug

2

[ druhg ]

verb

Nonstandard: Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.
  1. a simple past tense and past participle of drag.

Drug

3

[ droog ]

noun

Zoroastrianism.
  1. the cosmic principle of disorder and falsehood.

drug

/ ʌɡ /

noun

  1. any synthetic, semisynthetic, or natural chemical substance used in the treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of disease, or for other medical reasons pharmaceutical
  2. a chemical substance, esp a narcotic, taken for the pleasant effects it produces
  3. drug on the market
    a commodity available in excess of the demands of the market
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

verb

  1. to mix a drug with (food, drink, etc)
  2. to administer a drug to
  3. to stupefy or poison with or as if with a drug
“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

drug

  1. A chemical substance, especially one prescribed by a medical provider, that is used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a condition or disease. Drugs are prescribed for a limited amount of time, as for an acute infection, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders, such as hypertension.
  2. A chemical substance such as a narcotic or a hallucinogen that affects the central nervous system and is used recreationally for perceived desirable effects on personality, perception, or behavior. Many recreational drugs are used illicitly and can be addictive.
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Derived Forms

  • ˈܲ, adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of drug1

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English drogges (plural), from Middle French drogue, of obscure origin

Origin of drug2

From the Avestan word drauga
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Word History and Origins

Origin of drug1

C14: from Old French drogue, probably of Germanic origin
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. drug on the market, a commodity that is overabundant or in excess of demand in the market. Also drug in the market.
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

I'd say first and foremost, that mushrooms are reducible to poisons, pizza toppings and party drugs.

From

The sons were scheduled to face each other in 2022 but the fight was cancelled because Benn failed a drugs test.

From

Significantly overweight from comforting herself with food, she was never adopted, according to Florida Weekly, instead getting hooked on drugs when she was in high school.

From

The pair will fight three decades after their fathers' rivalry in the 1990s and two and a half years since Benn's failed drug tests led to the cancellation of their 2022 bout.

From

When Thailand decriminalised cannabis in 2022, a surge of illegal shipments threatened to overwhelm UK Border Force - which uncovered 15 tonnes of the drug in the post in the final quarter of last year.

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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