drug 1 of 2

noun

ˈdrəg How to pronounce drug (audio)
Definition of drugnext
as in medication
a substance or preparation used to treat disease prescribed a drug to treat the bacterial infection

Synonyms & Similar Words

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drug

2 of 2

verb

as in to dose

Related Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of drug
Noun
An archipelago famed for its friendly culture, white-sand beaches and teeming coral reefs, Fiji has struggled for years to contain a drug boom. — Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 30 Sep. 2026 The drug, combined with Merck’s Keytruda, met goals in more than 1,100 patients with higher-risk or advanced melanoma. — Fred Imbert, CNBC, 30 Sep. 2026
Verb
The three-part documentary series tells the story of three brothers who were recently convicted of preying on women for more than a decade, masquerading as party boys while drugging and raping them from the Hamptons to Aspen. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 11 May 2026 For most of the nearly 50 years since KRAS was first discovered, scientists struggled to effectively drug the cancer protein. — Angus Chen, STAT, 19 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for drug
Recent Examples of Synonyms for drug
  1. medication
  2. dose
  3. medicine
  4. remedy
  5. cure
  6. medicinal
Noun
  • These medications include blood thinner, insulin, chemotherapy drugs, and opioid pain medication.
    — Esha Desai, Hartford Courant, 4 Oct. 2026
  • That means doctors don’t have a definitive answer for families when asked how long their child might need to stay on the medications, or what the long-term effects might be.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of medication
Verb
  • Circuit training required a lower exercise dose to reach the maximum benefit, at around 580 MET-minutes per week.
    — Currie Engel, HEALTH, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The company said initial results showed the chips could withstand a total ionizing radiation dose greater than what they would be expected to receive during a five-year space mission.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 24 Sep. 2026
Definition of dose
Noun
  • The international community’s ability to manage safe travel and secure banking, communications and quality standards for food, water, and medicine could all be compromised, too.
    — Elizabeth Shackelford, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Boehringer has pitched the medicine as a way to help patients lose fat while preserving muscle, but without an edge, the drug becomes just one more contender in an increasingly crowded market dominated by Eli Lilly and Novo.
    — Ed Silverman, STAT, 2 Oct. 2026
Definition of medicine
Noun
  • Just a week later, Bonta flipped and announced a package of behavioral remedies.
    — Gene Maddaus, Variety, 30 Sep. 2026
  • There are some loopholes and there were no structural remedies.
    — Dominic Patten, Deadline, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of remedy
Noun
  • Geoff warns Ilya to moderate his projections, emphasizing the need for safeguards, but the idealistic Russian is swept up in the vast potential of AI — to solve the climate crisis, cure cancer, even save humanity from itself.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 6 Oct. 2026
  • By the next afternoon, he was gone — no miracle, no secret cure.
    — Trisha Thadani Kirsten Potter Tanya Pérez Devin Murphy, New York Times, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of cure
Noun
  • Others have a more functional endeavor, foraging for food or medicinals.
    — Tiney Ricciardi, Denver Post, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of medicinal

Browse Nearby Words

drudging
drug
drugged
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Cite this Entry

“Drug.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/drug. Accessed 7 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on drug

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about drug

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