drunk

1 of 3

past participle of drink

drunk

2 of 3

adjective

ˈdrəŋk 

1

a

: having the faculties impaired by alcohol

b

: having a level of alcohol in the blood that exceeds a maximum prescribed by law

legally drunk

2

: dominated by an intense feeling

drunk with rage

3

: relating to, caused by, or characterized by intoxication : drunken

drunk driving

drunk

3 of 3

noun

1

: a period of drinking to intoxication or of being intoxicated

a 2-day drunk

2

: one who is drunk

especially : drunkard

Synonyms

Adjective

• besotted
• blasted [slang]
• blind
• blitzed [slang]
• blotto [slang]
• bombed
• boozy
• canned [slang]
• cockeyed
• crocked
• drunken
• fried
• gassed
• hammered [slang]
• high
• impaired
• inebriate
• inebriated
• intoxicated
• juiced [slang]
• lit
• lit up
• loaded [slang]
• looped
• oiled [slang]
• pickled
• pie-eyed
• plastered
• potted [slang]
• ripped [slang]
• sloshed [slang]
• smashed [slang]
• sottish
• soused
• sozzled
• squiffed
• squiffy
• stewed
• stiff
• stinking [slang]
• stoned
• tanked [slang]
• tiddly [chiefly British]
• tight
• tipsy
• wasted [slang]
• wet
• wiped out [slang]

Noun

• alcoholic
• alkie [slang]
• alky
• boozehound
• boozer
• dipsomaniac
• drinker
• drunkard
• inebriate
• juicehead [slang]
• juicer [slang]
• lush
• rummy
• soak
• soaker
• sot
• souse
• tippler
• toper
• tosspot

Examples of drunk in a Sentence

Adjective

I don't like being around drunk people.

She was so drunk that she could barely walk.

I was drunk and couldn't think straight.

We got drunk on wine.

Noun

you can't trust anything that old drunk says

after a weeklong drunk he was unable to remember anything

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Be aware of the regulations and know that being drunk in public will almost certainly result in jail time and fines. —Joe Niehaus, Travel + Leisure, 9 Dec. 2024

Officers found Stewart drunk behind the wheel of a 2021 Honda Civic. —Joseph Wilkinson, New York Daily News, 9 Dec. 2024

Noun

Lord John, who also copes by getting rip-roaring drunk, refuses to let Claire mourn Jamie alone. —Lincee Ray, EW.com, 7 Dec. 2024

Carson’s desire for control and solitude will be very familiar to readers who know dry drunks. —Isaac Butler, The New Yorker, 6 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English drunke, alteration of drunken

First Known Use

Adjective

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1779, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing drunk

• (as) drunk as a lord
• (as) drunk as a skunk
• blind drunk
• drunk driver
• drunk driving
• drunk tank
• punch-drunk
• punch-drunk syndrome
• roaring drunk
• stinking drunk

Kids Definition

drunk

1 of 3

past participle of drink

drunk

2 of 3 adjective

ˈdrəŋk 

1

: having consumed alcohol to the point that normal thinking or acting becomes difficult or impossible

2

: controlled by some feeling as if under the influence of alcohol

drunk with power

3

a

: drunken sense 2a

b

: occurring while drunk

drunk driving

drunk

3 of 3 noun

1

a

: a person who is drunk

b

: drunkard

2

: a period of drinking too much : spree

Medical Definition

drunk

1 of 3

past part of drink

drunk

2 of 3 adjective

ˈdrəŋk 

1

: having the faculties impaired by alcohol

2

: of, relating to, or caused by intoxication : drunken

convicted of drunk driving

—Time

drunk

3 of 3 noun

1

: a period of drinking to intoxication or of being intoxicated

2

: one who is drunk

especially : drunkard