medicate

verb

med·​i·​cate ˈme-di-ˌkāt 

medicated; medicating

transitive verb

1

: to treat (someone or something) with or as if with medicine

medicate a condition

was medicated for pain/depression

… is happily living his life one day at a time since he stopped drinking and otherwise medicating himself …

—Charles Leerhsen

2

: to impregnate with a medicinal substance

medicated soap

Examples of medicate in a Sentence

The patient had been heavily medicated.

Recent Examples on the Web

These tasty edibles include both fast acting and traditional edible formulations so you can get medicated quickly and then enjoy a nice long high afterwards. —Emily Earlenbaugh, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2025

The film ends with Cross, now paralyzed and heavily medicated, functioning as the town’s mayor. —David Sims, The Atlantic, 23 July 2025

Other insects take a preventive approach by eating foods that are toxic to the wasps, basically medicating themselves. —Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 14 July 2025

Since 2000, she's been working with numerous cats, helping to feed and medicate them. —Liz O'Connell, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing medicate

• self-medicate

Rhymes for medicate

• abdicate
• abrogate
• acetate
• activate
• actuate
• adsorbate
• aggravate
• agitate
• alginate
• alienate
• allocate
• amputate

Medical Definition

medicate

transitive verb

med·​i·​cate ˈmed-ə-ˌkāt 

medicated; medicating

1

: to treat medicinally

2

: to impregnate with a medicinal substance

medicated soap