drug

1 of 3

noun

ˈdrəg 

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

drug

2 of 3

verb

drugged; drugging; drugs

transitive verb

1

: to affect (a person or animal) with a drug (see drug entry 1)

especially : to stupefy (someone) by an intoxicating drug

looks like he's been drugged

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

4

: 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

intransitive verb

: to take drugs especially for the intoxicating effect

drug

3 of 3

dialectal past tense of drag entry 1

Synonyms of drug

Noun

• medication
• medicine
• remedy
• cure
• medicinal

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

Noun

Partly that’s due to recently winning the Lasker Award, considered the most prestigious honor in medical research, but also because there’s just enough distance from the drugs his research helped produce to want to put words to the arc. —Courtney Crowder, USA Today, 10 Apr. 2026

One of the simplest ways to reduce drug costs is to ask whether a less expensive option is available. —Deidre Popovich, The Conversation, 10 Apr. 2026

Verb

The arrest follows an undercover investigation by CNN into online networks of men teaching each other how to drug and rape their partners. —Saskya Vandoorne, CNN Money, 9 Apr. 2026

No woman should suffer from being drugged and victimized. —Britannica Editors, Encyclopedia Britannica, 3 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun and Verb

Middle English drogge

First Known Use

Noun

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 4

Verb

1667, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 2

Phrases Containing drug

• date-rape drug
• designer drug
• drug dealer
• drug paraphernalia
• drug test
• feel/look like something the cat brought/dragged/drug in
• gateway drug
• miracle drug
• new drug
• orphan drug
• performance-enhancing drug
• prescription drug
• recreational drug
• smart drug
• sulfa drug
• wonder drug

Rhymes for drug

• chug
• doug
• dug
• hug
• jug
• lug
• mug
• plug
• pug
• rug
• rugg
• shrug

Kids Definition

drug

1 of 2 noun

ˈdrəg 

1

: 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 noun

ˈdrəg 

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

(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

transitive verb

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)

intransitive verb

: to take drugs especially for the intoxicating effect