pharmacy

noun

phar·​ma·​cy ˈfär-mə-sē 

plural pharmacies

1

: the art, practice, or profession of preparing, preserving, compounding, and dispensing medical drugs

2

a

: a place where medicines are compounded or dispensed

b

: drugstore

3

: pharmacopoeia sense 2

Synonyms of pharmacy

• drugstore

Examples of pharmacy in a Sentence

There's a pharmacy in our grocery store now.

She's studying pharmacy at the university.

Recent Examples on the Web

Also counted were seven parents died, a school bus driver, a pharmacy technician from an adjacent clinic and the 6-month-old fetus Shahriyari had been carrying. —Zohreh Saberi, Los Angeles Times, 6 May 2026

That unit dispenses prescriptions in CVS’ more than 9,000 retail pharmacies and provides other services, such as vaccinations and diagnostic testing. —Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 6 May 2026

Walgreens was performing poorly financially and then-CEO Tim Wentworth decided the giant pharmacy chain needed to close many hundreds — maybe more than 1,000 — of its money-losing stores around the country. —The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 6 May 2026

Prosecutors said drug dealers directed patients to Marino, who gave them prescriptions that were filled at Houston pharmacies. —Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 5 May 2026

Word History

Etymology

Late Latin pharmacia administration of drugs, from Greek pharmakeia, from pharmakeuein to administer drugs, from pharmakon magic charm, poison, drug

First Known Use

1651, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pharmacy

noun

phar·​ma·​cy ˈfär-mə-sē 

plural pharmacies

1

: the art, practice, or profession of preparing drugs according to a doctor's prescription

2

a

: a place where medicines are made or distributed

b

: drugstore

Medical Definition

pharmacy

noun

phar·​ma·​cy ˈfär-mə-sē 

plural pharmacies

1

: the art, practice, or profession of preparing, preserving, compounding, and dispensing medical drugs

2

a

: a place where medicines are compounded or dispensed

a hospital pharmacy

b

: drugstore

3

: pharmacopoeia sense 2