medicine

noun

med·​i·​cine ˈme-di-sən 

British usually

ˈmed-sən 

plural medicines

1

a

: a substance or preparation used in treating disease

cough medicine

b

: something that affects well-being

He's bad medicine.

—Zane Grey

2

a

: the science and art dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease

She's interested in a career in medicine.

b

: the branch of medicine concerned with the nonsurgical treatment of disease

3

: a substance (such as a drug or potion) used to treat something other than disease

4

: an object (such as a stone, animal bone, or plant root) which in some Indigenous American traditions is held to give control over natural or magical forces

also : magical power or a magical rite

medicine transitive verb

Synonyms of medicine

• medication
• drug
• remedy
• cure
• medicinal

Examples of medicine in a Sentence

He forgot to take his medicine.

Did you look in the medicine cabinet for a pain reliever?

Their research has led to many important advances in modern medicine.

She's interested in a career in medicine.

Recent Examples on the Web

The two women also learned Enrico Guarino, who performed their procedures with local anesthesia and a laser, did not have a license to practice medicine in Florida. — Ella Moore july 23, Miami Herald, 23 July 2026

DeepMind’s AlphaFold, for example, has used to AI to make available new structures for more than 200 million proteins, opening new pathways for research into disease and medicine. — Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 22 July 2026

The belugas were accompanied by aquatic medicine specialists, veterinarians and caretakers along the trip. — Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 22 July 2026

But there have been studies on some of the medicinal mushrooms—a fungi category known for its health benefits that’s used in traditional Chinese medicine and includes adaptogenic mushrooms—which these brews contain. — Stacey Colino, Time, 22 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin medicina, from feminine of medicinus of a physician, from medicus

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing medicine

• allopathic medicine
• alternative medicine
• a taste/dose of someone's own medicine
• complementary medicine
• conventional medicine
• defensive medicine
• doctor of medicine
• doctor of osteopathic medicine
• emergency medicine
• folk medicine
• herbal medicine
• homeopathic medicine
• internal medicine
• medicine ball
• medicine chest
• medicine dropper
• medicine man
• medicine show
• nuclear medicine
• osteopathic medicine
• patent medicine
• personalized medicine
• physical medicine
• physical medicine and rehabilitation
• precision medicine
• regenerative medicine
• socialized medicine
• space medicine
• sports medicine
• take one's medicine
• veterinary medicine
• Western medicine

Rhymes for medicine

• biomedicine
• telemedicine

Kids Definition

medicine

noun

med·​i·​cine ˈmed-ə-sən 

1

: a substance or preparation used in treating disease

2

: the science or art that deals with the prevention, cure, or easing of disease

especially : the practice of the physician as it differs from that of the surgeon

3

: an object, power, or ceremony held to give control over natural or magical forces

Medical Definition

medicine

noun

med·​i·​cine

ˈmed-ə-sən, British usually ˈmed-sən

1

: a substance or preparation used in treating disease

2

a

: the science and art dealing with the maintenance of health and the prevention, alleviation, or cure of disease

b

: the branch of medicine concerned with the nonsurgical treatment of disease