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Glite Dictionary
over the counter

over the counter

11 2.7
Medicine you can buy without a doctor's prescription
  • adjective
  • /ˈoʊvər ðə ˈkaʊntər/
  • Specialized
translation icon : de venta libre
  • You can find aspirin and ibuprofen available over the counter at most pharmacies.
  • an over the counter drug
  • over the counter available

Examples

  • Easy access to over-the-counter antibiotics led to widespread self-medication for STDs (no doubt increasing drug-resistant strains).

    Academic text (2001)

  • If you're looking for relief from headaches, you can purchase over-the-counter pain relief medications without a prescription.

  • You know they sell them over the counter there.

    Circle of Friends (1995)

  • Yet it is still over the counter and still readily available to anyone.

    Blog text (13)

  • I have to say that I was surprised when ibuprofen was made available over the counter.

    Blog text (13)

  • There are three pharmacies within a mile of my home that provide them over the counter without a prescription.

    Blog text (33)

  • Young women, however, very infrequently buy oral contraceptives, although these are available over the counter.

    Academic text (1991)

  • Many common cold treatments can be found over the counter, making them easily accessible for quick relief.

Synonyms

over-the-counter
vsover the counter
22 3.2

Medicine you can buy without a doctor's prescription

is written as separate words rather than a hyphenated form
OTC
vsover the counter
  • Specialized
3.9

Medicines you can buy without a doctor's prescription

is the full phrase used in normal text instead of an abbreviation
nonprescription
vsover the counter
3.8

A medicine you can buy without seeing a doctor

refers specifically to medicines rather than to other non-drug products

Antonyms

prescription
3.8

Only sold with a doctor's written order

Surface Forms

over the counter positive

Morphology

over + the + counter

The components 'over' + 'the' + 'counter' allow a learner to infer a relation to the shop counter (i.e., something handled or sold at the counter), so part of the meaning is recoverable from the parts. However, the conventionalized pharmaceutical sense 'available without a doctor’s prescription' is a specialized, idiomatic extension that a B1 learner may not reliably infer, and many languages use different lexicalizations for that concept, so the item is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Over the counter comes from shops and pharmacies where a medicine is simply handed to a customer across the shop counter, without a doctor's prescription. So, over the counter means 'available to buy without a doctor's prescription'.