medicate

verb med·i·cate \ ˈme-di-ˌkāt \

|Updated on: 12 Jun 2018

Examples: medicate in a Sentence

Definition of medicate

medicated; medicating

transitive verb

1 : to treat medicinally

2 : to impregnate with a medicinal substance

medicated soap

See medicate defined for English-language learners

Examples of medicate in a Sentence

The patient had been heavily medicated.

Recent Examples of medicate from the Web

Grieving deeply, Kate Spade's older sister told The Star on Tuesday that her famous designer sister suffered debilitating mental illness for the last three or four years and was self-medicating with alcohol.

— eric adler, kansascity, "Kate Spade suffered years of mental illness, sister says. Suicide 'not unexpected'," 5 June 2018
According to his lawyer, Price had been experiencing delusions and had turned to drinking as a form of self-medicating.

— kimberly rapanut, azcentral, "Man sentenced to more than 50 years in prison for 2016 assault of Gilbert teen," 30 May 2018
The judge said Burke was self-medicating for depression and talked online of suicide and wanting to kill his ex-girlfriend's boyfriend.

— city news service, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Judge affirms 16-year sentence in Ocean Beach fatal shooting," 10 May 2018
Rather than medicate her and tell her to calm down, the doctor put on some music and watched as the girl began to dance.

— teresa m. pelham, courant.com, "Overlooking Creativity Of Children Itself An Epidemic," 28 Apr. 2018
Experts urge parents to consult a physician before medicating with melatonin—or any other supplement, even though parents might not always think to do so.

— mariko zapf, Good Housekeeping, "Melatonin Is A Popular Over The Counter Sleep Aid—But Is It Safe For Kids?," 20 July 2017
The prevailing response to medicalizing is to medicate, and rates of long-term use of psychopharmaceuticals in the U.S. are startlingly high.

— rebecca a. seligman, STAT, "Cultural confusion: the shifting line between sane and ‘unsane’," 8 May 2018
Enough doses of opiates were prescribed in South Dakota in 2015 to medicate every single South Dakotan adult 24 hours a day for 19 days straight according to the South Dakota Opioid Strategic Abuse Plan.

— ruth hopkins, Teen Vogue, "Native American Tribes Are Suing the Opioid Industry As People Continue to Die," 13 Apr. 2018
The number of young, adult women medicated for ADHD has skyrocketed over the last decade – jumping by 344%, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— karen weintraub, USA TODAY, "Why cases of ADHD in young women are skyrocketing," 18 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'medicate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of medicate

Latin medicatus, past participle of medicare to heal, from medicus

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1623

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

MEDICATE Defined for English Language Learners

medicate

verb

Definition of medicate for English Language Learners

: to treat (a person or disease) with medicine and especially with drugs

MEDICATE Defined for Kids

medicate

verb med·i·cate \ ˈme-də-ˌkāt \

Definition of medicate for Students

medicated; medicating

1 : to treat with medicine

You should medicate your sore throat.

2 : to add medicinal material to

medicated soap

Medical Dictionary

medicate

transitive verb med·i·cate \ ˈmed-ə-ˌkāt \

medical Definition of medicate

medicated; medicating

1 : to treat medicinally

2 : to impregnate with a medicinal substance

medicated soap

Learn More about medicate

See words that rhyme with medicate Spanish Central: Translation of medicate Nglish: Translation of medicate for Spanish speakers

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medicate

Definition of medicate

Examples of medicate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of medicate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of medicate

MEDICATE Defined for English Language Learners

medicate

Definition of medicate for English Language Learners

MEDICATE Defined for Kids

medicate

Definition of medicate for Students

Medical Dictionary

medicate

medical Definition of medicate

Learn More about medicate

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medicate

Definition of medicate

Examples of medicate in a Sentence

Recent Examples of medicate from the Web

Origin and Etymology of medicate

MEDICATE Defined for English Language Learners

medicate

Definition of medicate for English Language Learners

MEDICATE Defined for Kids

medicate

Definition of medicate for Students

Medical Dictionary

medicate

medical Definition of medicate

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