Skip to main content
drug

drug

∞ 1.9
A medicine or chemical that treats illness and sometimes changes how someone feels
  • noun
  • /drʌg/
  • NSFW
: droga
  • Keep in mind that in America, prescription-only drugs are widely advertised on public television.
  • drug use
  • drugs and alcohol
  • drug users

But then don't just test your drugs at home, kids.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • The route of administration influences the time taken for the drug to reach maximal concentration.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Because relatively few are exposed to the drug, the number of adverse reactions is low.

    Academic text (2011)
  • And the half life of these drugs is very well known.

  • And so they have to price the new drugs at very high rates.

  • But then a few months later while on the drug, it all came back.

  • I try not to do any drug that costs more than my car, okay?

  • So you have two ways to approve drugs mostly for cancer, right?

  • Well, the AI took the drug and the AI survived.

  • The combined effect of these drugs is to make a slower, more effective pump.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Many patients rely on this drug to manage their chronic pain effectively.

Synonyms

medication
vsdrug
738 2.7

A medicine you take to treat or prevent illness

also covers non therapeutic substances used for narcotic effects
med
vsdrug
  • Informal
246 7.2

Something you take to treat an illness or make you feel better

is the broader term also including substances used for narcotic effects
pharmaceutical
vsdrug
  • Specialized
41 4.6

A medicine used to treat or prevent illness

is broader, also including substances used for recreational narcotic effects
medicinal drug
vsdrug
  • Specialized
1 3.3

A substance used to treat, prevent, or reduce symptoms of illness

includes those uses but also covers substances used for narcotic effects

Compounds

241 4.8

A person who sells illegal drugs

A medicine you can only get with a written order from a doctor

113 3.0

A person who cannot stop using illegal or harmful drugs

drug use
  • NSFW
95 3.1

To take illegal or harmful drugs

71 2.6

A company that makes and sells medicines like vaccines and pills

drug abuse
  • NSFW
55 2.8

Using illegal or harmful drugs too often so they harm a person's health and life

48 5.3

A group that makes and sells illegal drugs and uses violence or bribes officials to control the business

A US government agency that checks and approves food, medicine, and medical devices

43 4.6

Illegal buying, selling, or moving of drugs such as heroin

drug war
  • NSFW
41 3.7

A fight by police and government against illegal drugs and people who make or sell them

38 3.4

A long-lasting problem where someone cannot stop using drugs even though it harms them

drug lord
  • NSFW
36 4.9

A person who controls a large illegal drug business

drug user
  • NSFW
35 3.7

A person who takes illegal or recreational drugs

20 6.2

A person who illegally buys and sells large amounts of drugs

drug bust
  • NSFW
18 3.1

An occasion when police take illegal drugs and arrest people

fertility drug
  • Specialized
12 3.5

A medicine a woman takes to help her get pregnant

generic drug
  • Specialized
12 3.7

A medicine that has the same dose and effect as a brand-name medicine but costs less

cancer drug
  • Specialized
12 3.2

A medicine that treats cancer by killing or stopping cancer cells

hard drug
  • NSFW
12 4.6

A strong illegal substance that people quickly become addicted to, like heroin or cocaine

11 7.4

An illegal drug people use for fun that changes how they think and can harm them

9 4.4

A substance people take for pleasure, not medicine

A United States government agency that enforces laws about illegal drugs

7 7.6

A substance made by chemists to copy an illegal drug and avoid the law

A United States agency that enforces laws about illegal drugs and arrests people who sell them

A medicine you can buy without a doctor's prescription

4 6.8

A not very harmful drug that leads people to try more harmful drugs

4 7.2

A drug that makes you see or hear things that are not real and changes how you think and feel

3 4.8

A drug that changes how a person thinks, feels, or sees things

3 4.2

Illegal buying and selling of drugs for profit

brand-name drug
  • Specialized
3 4.2

A medicine sold under a company's name that only that company sells

antiviral drug
  • Specialized
3 3.7

A medicine that stops viruses from growing in the body

statin drug
  • Specialized
3 4.1

A medicine that lowers cholesterol in the blood

3 3.4

Medicine that reduces swelling and pain

drug cocktail
  • Specialized
3 4.1

A mix of medicines used together to treat diseases like HIV

antidepressant drug
  • Specialized
3 3.2

A medicine that treats depression by changing chemicals in the brain

club drug
  • NSFW
3 6.5

A drug often used in nightclubs and dance parties, for example ecstasy

psychoactive drug
  • Specialized
2 4.4

Something that changes how the mind works and so changes mood, behaviour and what you notice

2 6.1

A substance that makes you see or hear things that are not real

drug baron
  • NSFW
2 5.8

A person who controls a large illegal drug business

antibiotic drug
  • Specialized
1 3.0

A medicine that kills or stops the growth of bacteria to treat infections

1 4.8

Physical and mental symptoms that happen after stopping a medicine

1 5.8

A drug taken for pleasure that changes how you think and can cause addiction or harm

antipsychotic drug
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A medicine that calms serious mental problems like hearing or seeing things that are not there

stimulant drug
  • Specialized
1 4.5

A drug that makes the body or mind more active for a short time

1 6.5

A drug that ends a pregnancy by causing the body to remove the unborn baby

medicinal drug
  • Specialized
1 3.3

A substance used to treat, prevent, or reduce symptoms of illness

1 3.9

A drug that makes the body's immune system weaker to prevent organ rejection or treat autoimmune disease

truth drug
  • Specialized
1 5.9

Medicine that makes someone talk by reducing fear of speaking

soft drug
  • NSFW
1 4.8

A drug with mild effects, for example cannabis, that does not often cause addiction

sedative drug
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A medicine that calms you and makes you sleepy

sulfa drug
  • Specialized
1 6.2

A medicine that stops bacteria from growing to treat infections

antianxiety drug
  • Specialized
1 3.5

A drug that reduces anxiety and makes you feel calmer

1 4.0

A law that bans making, selling, or using illegal drugs

1 7.4

A person who sells illegal drugs, often on the street

antimalarial drug
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A medicine that prevents or treats malaria

A medicine that reduces pain and swelling without steroids, like ibuprofen or aspirin

anti-impotence drug
  • Specialized
1 3.4

A drug that helps men who cannot get or keep an erection

neuroleptic drug
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A medicine that calms serious mental illness like schizophrenia

1 6.8

A medicine for depression that raises mood chemicals in the brain like serotonin and norepinephrine

A drug that changes how you feel, think, or see things

anticonvulsant drug
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A medicine that prevents or reduces seizures in people with epilepsy

1 3.9

The official removal of a medicine from sale by authorities or makers because it is unsafe

anticholinergic drug
  • Specialized
1 7.2

A drug that blocks a nerve chemical called acetylcholine in the nervous system

antibacterial drug
  • Specialized
1 3.0

A medicine that kills bacteria or stops their growth

antiepileptic drug
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A medicine that prevents or controls seizures in people with epilepsy

proprietary drug
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A medicine sold under a brand name that only one company can make

antidiabetic drug
  • Specialized
1 3.1

Medicine that lowers blood sugar to treat diabetes

antihypertensive drug
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A medicine that lowers high blood pressure

diuretic drug
  • Specialized
1 3.7

A medicine that makes the body pass more urine to remove extra water

anxiolytic drug
  • Specialized
1 5.8

A drug that reduces worry and calms tension

hug drug
  • NSFW
1 9.9

A drug taken at parties that makes people feel more friendly and loving

antiarrhythmic drug
  • Specialized
1 4.7

A medicine that prevents or treats abnormal heart rhythms

cytotoxic drug
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A medicine that kills cells and helps treat cancer during chemotherapy

How Technical

pharmaceutical
  • Specialized
41 4.6
medicament
  • Specialized
1 7.7
medication
738 2.7
medicine
  • Specialized
676 1.0
drug
  • NSFW
∞ 1.9
remedy
81 3.4

Surface Forms

drug singular
drugs plural

Etymology

Drug probably comes from an old word like dry, which means 'dry'. Early medicines were often dried plants or powders, so people began to call these remedies 'drugs'.