Drug (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

noun
  1. 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)
    • any substance recognized in the official pharmacopoeia or formulary of the nation.
    • any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals.
    • any article, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or other animals.
    • 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,
    • chemical substances prepared and sold as pharmaceutical items, either by prescription or over the counter.
    • personal hygienic items sold in a drugstore, as toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.
  5. any ingredient used in chemistry, pharmacy, dyeing, or the like.
verb (used with object), drugged, drug·ging.
  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 Phrases
  1. to take a drug, especially an illegal drug: kids hiding under the school bleachers to drug up;athletes who drug up in the off-season.
Idioms
  1. a commodity that is overabundant or in excess of demand in the market.
verb Nonstandard: Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.
  1. a simple past tense and past participle of drag.
noun Zoroastrianism.
  1. the cosmic principle of disorder and falsehood.
noun
  1. any synthetic, semisynthetic, or natural chemical substance used in the treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of disease, or for other medical reasons
  2. a chemical substance, esp a narcotic, taken for the pleasant effects it produces
  3. a commodity available in excess of the demands of the market
verb drugs, drugging or drugged (tr)
  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
    Drug (noun) Definition, Meaning & Examples

    More Definitions