plural drugs
1
a
: a substance used as a medication or in the preparation of medication
b
according to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
(1)
: a substance recognized in an official pharmacopoeia or formulary (see formulary sense 3)
(2)
: a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease
prescription drugs
drugs for treating high blood pressure
(3)
: a substance other than food intended to affect the structure or function of the body
(4)
: a substance intended for use as a component of a medicine but not a device or a component, part, or accessory of a device
2
: something and often an illegal substance that causes addiction, habituation (see habituation sense 2b), or a marked change in consciousness
keeping teens off drugs
heroin and other hard drugs
3
: a commodity that is not salable or for which there is no demand (see demand entry 1 sense 3a)
—used in the phrase drug on the market
4
obsolete
: a substance used in dyeing or chemical operations
drugged; drugging; drugs
1
: to affect (a person or animal) with a drug (see drug entry 1)
2
: to administer a drug to (a person or animal)
drugged against pain
3
: to lull or stupefy (someone) as if with a drug
… the kind of overly familiar music that delights most audiences and drugs most critics—
Time
Time4
: to add an illicit or intoxicating drug to (food or drink) usually surreptitiously
There's also very little violence in the movie. … The kidnapping is done by drugging the victim's drink.—Drew Zahn
Drew Zahn
: to take drugs especially for the intoxicating effect
drug
3 of 3dialectal past tense of drag entry 1
Examples of drug in a Sentence
Noun
a new drug used to treat people with high blood pressure
an experimental drug for the treatment of AIDS
Have you ever taken any illegal drugs?
I don't smoke, drink, or do drugs.
Verb
He looks like he's been drugged.
Someone could have drugged your drink.
Recent Examples on the Web
Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Pfizer is betting on its pipeline of cancer drugs to deliver long-term growth, but has emphasized that obesity is a key focus.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2025
Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
Date rape seems a little bit outside the normal tone for this show, but all signs pointed to the drinks being drugged . . .
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drug
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
The weight loss drug market has exploded, and Kailera Therapeutics is coming for its leaders, Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly.
—Danielle Chemtob, Forbes.com, 14 Apr. 2025
Pfizer is betting on its pipeline of cancer drugs to deliver long-term growth, but has emphasized that obesity is a key focus.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 14 Apr. 2025
Verb
Prosecutors say the brothers used their wealth and celebrity in the high-end real estate brokerage world to lure women on trips throughout the U.S. and abroad, often drugging the women before they were raped.
—Charles Rabin, Miami Herald, 4 Apr. 2025
Date rape seems a little bit outside the normal tone for this show, but all signs pointed to the drinks being drugged . . .
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drug
Cite this Entry
“Drug.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drug. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
drug
1 of 2 noun1
: a substance used as a medicine or in making medicines
2
: something for which there is no demand
—used in the phrase drug on the market
3
: a usually illegal substance (as heroin, LSD, or cocaine) that affects bodily activities often in a harmful way and is taken for other than medical reasons
drug
2 of 2 verb
drugged; drugging
1
: to affect or treat with a drug
especially
: to make dull or numb by a narcotic drug
2
: to lull or make dull or numb as if with a drug
Medical Definition
drug
1 of 2 noun1
a
: a substance used as a medication or in the preparation of medication
b
according to the Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
(1)
: a substance recognized in an official pharmacopoeia or formulary
(2)
: a substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease
(3)
: a substance other than food intended to affect the structure or function of the body
(4)
: a substance intended for use as a component of a medicine but not a device or a component, part, or accessory of a device
2
: something and often an illicit substance that causes addiction, habituation, or a marked change in consciousness
drug
2 of 2 verb
drugged; drugging
1
: to affect (a person or animal) with a drug (see drug entry 1)
especially
: to stupefy (someone) by an intoxicating drug
2
: to administer a drug to (a person or animal)
: to take drugs especially for the intoxicating effect
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