medicate

verb

med·​i·​cate ˈme-di-ˌkāt 

medicated; medicating

transitive verb

1

: to treat (someone or something) with or as if with medicine

medicate a condition

was medicated for pain/depression

… is happily living his life one day at a time since he stopped drinking and otherwise medicating himself …

—Charles Leerhsen

2

: to impregnate with a medicinal substance

medicated soap

Examples of medicate in a Sentence

The patient had been heavily medicated.

Recent Examples on the Web

Others were being medicated indefinitely on mere suppositions of mental illness. —Christopher Damien, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2024

Most abortions last year were medicated, according to one study. —Chelsea Brasted, Axios, 1 Oct. 2024

Amelia, frightened by her son’s behavior, is forced to medicate him. —Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 13 Sep. 2024

According to prosecutors, the Bureau of Prisons previously considered involuntarily medicating Coleman under a different law. —Alex Riggins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 June 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin medicatus, past participle of medicare to heal, from medicus

First Known Use

circa 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing medicate

• self-medicate

Medical Definition

medicate

transitive verb

med·​i·​cate ˈmed-ə-ˌkāt 

medicated; medicating

1

: to treat medicinally

2

: to impregnate with a medicinal substance

medicated soap