drug
drug
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "drug" is /drʌɡ/.
Syllable 1:
/d/ - voiced alveolar plosive
/r/ - voiced alveolar approximant
/ʌ/ - open-mid back unrounded vowel
/ɡ/ - voiced velar plosive
Word Form Variations
Singular Noun: drug
Plural Noun: drugs
Verb (base form): drug
Verb (third-person singular present): drugs
Verb (present participle): drugging
Verb (past tense): drugged
Verb (past participle): drugged
Adjective: drugged (often used as a past participle acting as an adjective)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1: A substance, especially one intended for use as a medicine or a narcotic, that has a physiological effect when ingested or otherwise introduced into the body.
Synonyms: medicine, medication, pharmaceutical, remedy, narcotic, stimulant, depressant
Antonyms: (No direct antonyms; concepts like "food" or "nutrient" might be considered opposite in function but not form)
Definition 2: (Informal) A dull, uninteresting, or unpleasant person or thing.
Synonyms: bore, drag, downer, dud, killjoy
Antonyms: delight, joy, pleasure, thrill, entertainment
Verb
Definition 1: To administer a drug to (someone), especially illicitly or with the intent to incapacitate or sedate them.
Synonyms: medicate, sedate, narcotize, dose, spike (informal)
Antonyms: stimulate, invigorate, rouse, energize (antonyms for the effect of drugging, rather than the act itself)
Definition 2: To mix a drug into (food or drink) usually without the knowledge of the person consuming it.
Synonyms: lace, spike, adulterate, taint
Antonyms: purify, unadulterate, cleanse
Definition 3: (Often with "on" or "up") To use illegal or recreational drugs.
Synonyms: use, abuse, indulge, dope (informal), get high (informal)
Antonyms: abstain, desist, quit, clean up (informal)
Adjective
Definition 1: (Drugged) Under the influence of a drug.
Synonyms: intoxicated, sedated, medicated, stoned (informal), high (informal)
Antonyms: sober, alert, clear-headed, unaffected
Examples of Use
Books:
"He spent years addicted to a powerful drug, a struggle chronicled in his autobiography." (From a review of A Million Little Pieces by James Frey, though the book itself is a memoir, not a work of fiction, published April 2003)
"The detective suspected the victim had been drugged before the incident, based on the toxicology reports." (From a mystery novel, e.g., The Guest List by Lucy Fokley, February 2021)
Newspapers:
"New legislation aims to curb the illegal sale of prescription drugs by increasing penalties for offenders." (From The New York Times)
"The police chief warned of a new synthetic drug appearing on the streets, posing a significant public health risk." (From The Guardian)
Online Publications:
"Researchers are hopeful about a new experimental drug showing promising results in early-stage cancer trials." (From ScienceDaily)
"The article explored the complex societal impact of the opioid drug crisis across rural communities." (From NPR.org)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "The protagonist realized he had been secretly drugged when he woke up in an unfamiliar location." (As seen in the film The Hangover, June 2009)
Television Series: "In the latest episode, detectives investigate a black market drug ring operating out of a local club." (From an episode of Law & Order: SVU, March 2024)
Music: "The lyrics alluded to escaping reality through the use of a powerful drug." (From a song like "Comfortably Numb" by Pink Floyd, November 1979)
Video Games: "Players can collect various items, including health drugs to restore their character's vitality." (Found in descriptions for many RPGs, e.g., The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, May 2015)
General Public Discourse:
"He's been a real drug lately, just constantly complaining about everything." (Common colloquial use)
"The doctor said I need to take this drug twice a day for a week to fight the infection." (Everyday conversation)
"There's a lot of debate about the legalization of certain drugs for recreational use." (Common societal discussion)
"They had to drug the animal to safely transport it to the wildlife sanctuary." (Discussing animal care or rescue)
10 Quotes Using Drug
"Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind." (Rudyard Kipling)
"I don't do drugs. I am drugs." (Salvador Dalí)
"Reality is just a crutch for people who can't cope with drugs." (Robin Williams)
"Drugs are a waste of time. They destroy your memory and your self-respect and everything that goes along with your self-esteem." (Kurt Cobain)
"A drug is not bad. A drug is a chemical compound. The problem comes in when people who take drugs treat them like a license to behave like an asshole." (Frank Zappa)
"I have absolutely no pleasure in the stimulants in which I sometimes so madly indulge. It has not been in the pursuit of pleasure that I have periled life and reputation and reason. It has been the desperate attempt to escape from torturing memories, from a sense of insupportable loneliness and a dread of some strange impending doom." (Edgar Allan 1Poe)
"We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold." (Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas)
"Imagine a society that subjects people to conditions that make them terribly unhappy then gives them the drugs to take away their unhappiness." (Aldous Huxley, Brave New World)
"There's not a drug on earth that can make life meaningful." (Unknown)
"He's like a drug for you, Bella… I see you can't live without him now. It's too late. But I would have been healthier for you. Not a drug; I would have been the air, the sun." (Stephenie Meyer, Eclipse)
Etymology
The word "drug" has a fascinating journey through different languages and centuries!
It seems to have come into English around the late 14th century. Its earliest meaning was simply "a dry substance." This makes sense when you think about how medicines were often prepared back then – dried herbs, powders, and so on.
The path it took to get to English likely goes like this:
It probably started in Old French with words like drogue (meaning "a medicinal simple" or "a dry substance").
Before that, it might have come from Middle Dutch or Low German words like droge or drooch, which meant "dry." This "dry" connection is key!
Some theories even trace it back further to an older Germanic root.
So, in essence, "drug" started as a way to describe something dry, and because many medicinal ingredients were dried, the word naturally evolved to mean "a medicinal substance" or "a pharmaceutical commodity." Over time, its meaning broadened to include all sorts of substances that have an effect on the body, including those used for recreational purposes, and even, more informally, something or someone boring.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Drug
A gateway drug: A substance whose use is thought to lead to the use of more dangerous ones.
A drug on the market: Something that is oversupplied and therefore difficult to sell.
To drug someone's drink: To secretly put a drug into someone's beverage.
To be drugged up: To be heavily under the influence of drugs.
The drug trade/war: Referring to the illegal buying, selling, and distribution of drugs, and efforts to combat it.
To kick a drug habit: To stop using an addictive drug.
Poison pill: (using a synonym for similar effect, referring to a measure that makes a hostile takeover difficult or impossible)
Bitter pill to swallow: (using a synonym for similar effect, referring to an unpleasant fact that has to be accepted)
A dose of your own medicine: (using a synonym for similar effect, referring to experiencing the same unpleasantness you've inflicted on others)
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of drug from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
