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

Koniver began ordering peptides from compounding pharmacies, which produce custom medications. —Dhruv Khullar, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026

The website doesn't process insurance claims, instead directing cash-paying consumers to drug manufacturers websites or coupons that can be used at pharmacies. —Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 5 Apr. 2026

Events like these show how attacks on health technology companies can affect patients, hospitals and pharmacies across the country. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 3 Apr. 2026

Additionally, many clinics and pharmacies cannot float the capital required to keep the drug in stock. —Michael Rose, STAT, 3 Apr. 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