drunk

1 of 3

past participle of drink

drunk

2 of 3

adjective

1
a
: having the faculties impaired by alcohol
b
: having a level of alcohol in the blood that exceeds a maximum prescribed by law
legally drunk
2
: dominated by an intense feeling
drunk with rage
3
: relating to, caused by, or characterized by intoxication : drunken
drunk driving

drunk

3 of 3

noun

1
: a period of drinking to intoxication or of being intoxicated
a 2-day drunk
2
: one who is drunk
especially : drunkard

Examples of drunk in a Sentence

Adjective I don't like being around drunk people. She was so drunk that she could barely walk. I was drunk and couldn't think straight. We got drunk on wine. Noun you can't trust anything that old drunk says after a weeklong drunk he was unable to remember anything
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Adjective
She is raped, half-drunk, at a party and bites off a piece of her attacker’s ear. Mary Ann Grossmann, Twin Cities, 7 Sep. 2025 Anthony Mackie plays himself as a self-serious star making a deeply personal, awards-bait movie, whereas Dave Franco wanders around drunk and high on weed and mushrooms. Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
Stray Bullets • In this week’s post-credits scene, Adrian removes the pants of the drunk, sleeping John Economos and plants a tender kiss on his forehead. Scott Meslow, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025 Mary Roy, too, married to flee violence—her father, a civil servant under the British, beat his wife and whipped his children—only to find that her husband was an incorrigible drunk. Rebecca Mead, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for drunk

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English drunke, alteration of drunken

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1779, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of drunk was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Drunk.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drunk. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

drunk

1 of 3

past participle of drink

drunk

2 of 3 adjective
1
: having consumed alcohol to the point that normal thinking or acting becomes difficult or impossible
2
: controlled by some feeling as if under the influence of alcohol
drunk with power
3
b
: occurring while drunk
drunk driving

drunk

3 of 3 noun
1
a
: a person who is drunk
b
2
: a period of drinking too much : spree

Medical Definition

drunk

1 of 3

past part of drink

drunk

2 of 3 adjective
1
: having the faculties impaired by alcohol
2
: of, relating to, or caused by intoxication : drunken
convicted of drunk drivingTime

drunk

3 of 3 noun
1
: a period of drinking to intoxication or of being intoxicated
2
: one who is drunk
especially : drunkard

More from Merriam-Webster on drunk

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