intoxicate

1 of 2

verb

in·​tox·​i·​cate in-ˈtäk-sə-ˌkāt How to pronounce intoxicate (audio)
intoxicated; intoxicating

transitive verb

1
a
: to excite or stupefy by alcohol or a drug especially to the point where physical and mental control is markedly diminished
b
: to excite or elate to the point of enthusiasm or frenzy
2
: poison

intoxicate

2 of 2

adjective

in·​tox·​i·​cate in-ˈtäk-si-kət How to pronounce intoxicate (audio)

Did you know?

From scents to songs, many harmless things have the power to intoxicate. At least, that is, by today’s standards. The origins of intoxicate are less inviting. You might have guessed that intoxicate is related to toxic; both words trace back to the Latin noun toxicum, meaning "poison," and the earliest function of intoxicate was as an adjective describing something (such as the tip of an arrow) steeped in or smeared with poison. Toxicum turns up in the etymologies of a number of other English words including intoxicant ("something that intoxicates") and detoxify ("to remove a poison from"), and also in a number of names for various poisons themselves. Happily though, today you’re likelier to be intoxicated by Cupid’s arrow than—one hopes—by a poison dart.

Examples of intoxicate in a Sentence

Verb The little bit of beer I drank was not enough to intoxicate me. the stunning spectacle of this Las Vegas show is sure to intoxicate spectators
Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
Min ultimately emerged victorious, but only after surviving a barrage of negative advertising centered on his 2023 arrest for driving while intoxicated — arguably a gift to Republicans ahead of his fall battle with Baugh. Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 Patrick Mahomes’ father, Patrick Mahomes Sr., was arrested in Texas under suspicion of driving while intoxicated in February. Jennifer Henderson, CNN, 8 Mar. 2024 Reid, who is the son of Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, pleaded guilty to a single felony charge of driving while intoxicated, causing serious injury, for the Feb. 4, 2021 crash. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 6 Mar. 2024 Earlier in February, a belligerent JetBlue passenger who appeared to be intoxicated on a flight from London to New York City was held down by other customers after the man began acting aggressively toward crew members. Erin Clements, Peoplemag, 1 Mar. 2024 For some, the lure of black market bounties proves intoxicating. Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 Wall Street was banking on more growth, intoxicated by a recent stretch when the profitable MA program was growing by 9-10% annually. Bob Herman Reprints, STAT, 20 Feb. 2024 Information was uncovered that would contest the 17-year-old's credibility years later, including testimony from her roommate that the prosecution's witness was severely intoxicated the night of the fire, according to the district attorney’s office. Tesfaye Negussie, ABC News, 6 Feb. 2024 Reid, the son of Chiefs Coach Andy Reid, was convicted of driving while intoxicated and causing a crash that severely injured a 5-year-old girl in February 2021. Jonathan Shorman, Kansas City Star, 2 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'intoxicate.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English, from Medieval Latin intoxicatus, past participle of intoxicare, from Latin in- + toxicum poison — more at toxic

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Adjective

1581, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of intoxicate was in the 15th century

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Dictionary Entries Near intoxicate

Cite this Entry

“Intoxicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/intoxicate. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

intoxicate

verb
in·​tox·​i·​cate
in-ˈtäk-sə-ˌkāt
intoxicated; intoxicating
1
: to affect by alcohol or a drug especially to the point where physical and mental control is much reduced
2
: to excite to enthusiasm or frenzy
Etymology

Verb

from Latin intoxicatus, past participle of intoxicare "to poison," from earlier in- "put into" and toxicum "poison," from Greek toxikon "arrow poison," from toxon "bow, arrow" — related to toxic, toxin

Word Origin
The Greek word toxon means "bow" or "arrow." From this came the Greek toxikon, meaning "a poison in which arrows are dipped." Toxikon was borrowed into Latin as toxicum, which gave rise to the Latin verb intoxicare, "to poison." The English word intoxicate comes from this Latin verb. Intoxicate originally meant "to poison" in English, but now it is almost never used with this meaning. It is related to the words toxic, meaning "poisonous," and toxin, meaning "a poison." Both of these words can also be traced to the Greek toxon.

Medical Definition

intoxicate

transitive verb
in·​tox·​i·​cate -sə-ˌkāt How to pronounce intoxicate (audio)
intoxicated; intoxicating
1
: poison
2
: to excite or stupefy by alcohol or a drug especially to the point where physical and mental control is markedly diminished

Legal Definition

intoxicate

transitive verb
in·​tox·​i·​cate in-ˈtäk-sə-ˌkāt How to pronounce intoxicate (audio)
intoxicated; intoxicating
: to excite or stupefy by alcohol or a drug especially to the point where physical and mental control is markedly diminished see also driving under the influence

More from Merriam-Webster on intoxicate

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