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

The bill focuses on large health care companies that own pharmacies as well as insurers or pharmacy benefit managers, known as PBMs, which influence the prescription drugs Americans can get through insurance plans and how much those medications will cost. —Ken Alltucker, USA Today, 13 May 2026

The helicopter medical team rapidly gathered their helmets and vials of antivenom from the MCR pharmacy before loading into the helicopter. —Dillon Thomas, CBS News, 13 May 2026

And yes, this building also pulls double duty as a thriving pharmacy. —Bill Addison, Los Angeles Times, 12 May 2026

Many of these physicians work with compounding pharmacies to formulate these peptides. —Teresa Maalouf, Verywell Health, 12 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