drug

¹

[ druhg ]

noun

1. Pharmacology. a chemical substance used in the treatment, cure, prevention, or diagnosis of disease or used to otherwise enhance physical or mental well-being.
2. (in federal law)
   1. any substance recognized in the official pharmacopoeia or formulary of the nation.
   2. any substance intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease in humans or other animals.
   3. any article, other than food, intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of humans or other animals.
   4. any substance intended for use as a component of such a drug, but not a device or a part of a device.
3. a habit-forming medicinal or illicit substance, especially a narcotic.
4. drugs,
   1. chemical substances prepared and sold as pharmaceutical items, either by prescription or over the counter.
   2. personal hygienic items sold in a drugstore, as toothpaste, mouthwash, etc.
5. Obsolete. any ingredient used in chemistry, pharmacy, dyeing, or the like.

verb (used with object)

, drugged, drug·ging.

1. to administer a medicinal drug to.
2. to stupefy or poison with a drug.
3. to mix (food or drink) with a drug, especially a stupefying, narcotic, or poisonous drug.
4. to administer anything nauseous to.

verb phrase

1. Informal. to take a drug, especially an illegal drug: athletes who drug up in the off-season.

   kids hiding under the school bleachers to drug up;

   athletes who drug up in the off-season.

drug

²

[ druhg ]

verb

, Nonstandard: Chiefly Midland and Southern U.S.

1. a simple past tense and past participle of drag.

Drug

³

[ droog ]

noun

, Zoroastrianism.

1. the cosmic principle of disorder and falsehood.

drug

/ drʌɡ /

noun

1. any synthetic, semisynthetic, or natural chemical substance used in the treatment, prevention, or diagnosis of disease, or for other medical reasons pharmaceutical
2. a chemical substance, esp a narcotic, taken for the pleasant effects it produces
3. drug on the market
   a commodity available in excess of the demands of the market

verb

1. to mix a drug with (food, drink, etc)
2. to administer a drug to
3. to stupefy or poison with or as if with a drug

drug

/ drŭg /

1. A chemical substance, especially one prescribed by a medical provider, that is used in the diagnosis, treatment, or prevention of a condition or disease. Drugs are prescribed for a limited amount of time, as for an acute infection, or on a regular basis for chronic disorders, such as hypertension.
2. A chemical substance such as a narcotic or a hallucinogen that affects the central nervous system and is used recreationally for perceived desirable effects on personality, perception, or behavior. Many recreational drugs are used illicitly and can be addictive.

Derived Forms

• ˈdruggy, adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of drug¹

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English drogges (plural), from Middle French drogue, of obscure origin

Origin of drug²

From the Avestan word drauga

Word History and Origins

Origin of drug¹

C14: from Old French drogue, probably of Germanic origin

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. drug on the market, a commodity that is overabundant or in excess of demand in the market. Also drug in the market.

Example Sentences

And again, the 56 showed no real improvement with the drug, while the other group - the alcohol responders - did, with effects lasting up to five hours.

From BBC

The researchers will continue analyzing the circuit to determine whether drugs could activate it to slow breathing on command.

From Science Daily

"Synthetic tissues could have endless medical applications, ranging from testing potential drugs or therapies to providing grafts or transplants for patients."

From Science Daily

Former prisoners have recounted being assigned work that they didn’t want or that interfered with classes or drug and alcohol treatment programs they wanted to take.

From Los Angeles Times

Today, resistant microbes appear, on average, within two or three years of a new drug’s release.

From Salon

Related Words

• dope
• medicate
• poison
• sedate