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

That includes deploying tools such as digital avatars to conduct basic medical interviews, robotic systems for remote diagnostics, and drones to deliver medication where pharmacies don't exist. —Windsor Johnston, NPR, 14 Feb. 2026

Regulating health insurance, drug prices, pharmacy benefit managers, hospitals & mandating site-neutral services will drive down costs. —Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 14 Feb. 2026

Retailers, grocery stores, and pharmacies may be closed or have modified hours for the holiday. —Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 13 Feb. 2026

Yet even a brief exchange at the pharmacy counter often serves as a final checkpoint in the care delivery system, an opportunity to review new therapies, clarify dosing, identify potential interactions, or answer questions that may not have surfaced during a clinical visit. —Mark A. Munger, STAT, 13 Feb. 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