1
: drunk sense 1
a drunken driver
2
obsolete
: saturated with liquid
3
a
: given to habitual excessive use of alcohol
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by intoxication
they come from … broken homes, drunken homes—
P. B. Gilliam
P. B. Gilliam
c
: resulting from or as if from intoxication
a drunken brawl
4
: unsteady or lurching as if from alcoholic intoxication
drunkenly
adverb
Examples of drunken in a Sentence
The streets were filled with drunken revelers on New Year's Eve.
He lives in an apartment with his drunken mother.
He fell into a drunken stupor.
A drunken brawl broke out at the bar.
Recent Examples on the Web
Assistant state’s attorneys will assist police in obtaining search warrants to conduct blood, breath or urine tests on people who are stopped on suspicion of drunken driving and refuse to submit to testing as required by Illinois law, the release said.
—Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025
In a stunning decision, the jury in her retrial voted unanimously to only convict Read of drunken driving sparing her any jail time.
—Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 28 June 2025
Read, who was accused of hitting John O’Keefe with her car and leaving the scene, was found guilty of drunken driving.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 27 June 2025
Read, 45, will serve a year of probation for drunken driving but was not guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter and fleeing the scene of a deadly accident.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for drunken
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Mike Danahey, Chicago Tribune, 30 June 2025
In a stunning decision, the jury in her retrial voted unanimously to only convict Read of drunken driving sparing her any jail time.
—Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald, 28 June 2025
Read, who was accused of hitting John O’Keefe with her car and leaving the scene, was found guilty of drunken driving.
—Angelique Jackson, Variety, 27 June 2025
Read, 45, will serve a year of probation for drunken driving but was not guilty of second-degree murder, manslaughter and fleeing the scene of a deadly accident.
—Michael Ruiz, FOXNews.com, 26 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for drunken
Cite this Entry
“Drunken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drunken. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
drunken
adjective
drunk·en
ˈdrəŋ-kən 
1
b
: having a habit of drinking too much alcohol
2
a
: resulting from being drunk
a drunken brawl
drunkenly
adverb
Medical Definition
drunken
adjective
drunk·en
ˈdrəŋ-kən
1
: drunk sense 1
a drunken driver
2
a
: given to habitual excessive use of alcohol
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by intoxication
drunken parties
c
: resulting from or as if from intoxication
a drunken stupor
drunkenly
adverb
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