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

Shops, restaurants, museums and pharmacies may also close, according to the advisory. — Deirdre Bardolf, FOXNews.com, 7 Nov. 2026

Rite-Aid, which once had ranked among the big three of national pharmacy chains, went bankrupt in May 2025, filing for Chapter 11 protection only eight months after emerging from a previous bankruptcy filing. — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 6 Nov. 2026

To find a pharmacy, call 877-363-1303 or use the online pharmacy locator. — Christopher Harris, CBS News, 6 Nov. 2026

There could also be a bipartisan pushback on the rising cost of hospital care as well as pharmacy benefit managers, which act as middlemen to negotiate drug prices and rebates on behalf of insurers and employers. — Berkeley Lovelace Jr, NBC news, 5 Nov. 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