drug

noun

(pharmacology) A substance used to treat an illness, relieve a symptom, or modify a chemical process in the body for a specific purpose.

A psychoactive substance, especially one which is illegal and addictive, ingested for recreational use, such as cocaine.

(by extension) Anything, such as a substance, emotion, or action, to which one is addicted.

Any commodity that lies on hand, or is not salable; an article of slow sale, or in no demand.

(Canada, US, informal) Ellipsis of drugstore. [(chiefly US, Canada) Synonym of pharmacy, especially a small standalone general store which includes a pharmacy.]

(obsolete) A drudge.

verb

(transitive) To administer intoxicating drugs to, generally without the recipient's knowledge or consent.

(transitive) To add intoxicating drugs to with the intention of drugging someone.

(intransitive) To prescribe or administer drugs or medicines.

(intransitive, rare) To use intoxicating drugs.

Roots

droguedrug- · Old French · dry goods

Synonyms for drug

narcoticadj dosen medicationn antidepressantn amphetaminen opiaten medicamentn sedativen cocainen analgesicadj

Synonyms & related words for drug

Find synonyms, related words, and the definition of drug — including narcotic, dose, medication, antidepressant, amphetamine, opiate. Dendril is a free visual thesaurus that shows them on an interactive map where stronger matches sit closer to the center — no signup, no ads.

Words related to drug

Explore words related to drug — words associated with it, words that go with it, and its nearest matches in meaning. Related words include nondrug, tryparsamide, phenformin, antisyphilitic, antidrug, sulfaguanidine, mercaptopurine, griseofulvin. Click any word to make it the center of the map and keep exploring the web of connections.

Synonyms for drug

Common synonyms for drug include narcotic, dose, medication, antidepressant, amphetamine, opiate, medicament, sedative — words that share a close meaning. Hover or tap any word on the map for its definition and part of speech.

Where does drug come from?

The word drug breaks down into one root of Old French origin: the root drug, from Old French drogue (“dry goods”). Explore each root to see other English words built from the same source.