medicate

verb

med·​i·​cate ˈme-di-ˌkāt How to pronounce medicate (audio)
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Skaggs says that nearly 100 percent of her students who arrive at SOAR medicated for ADHD are able to stop their medications entirely. Kerry McDonald, Forbes, 21 Nov. 2024 Allen seemed better around mid-April after he was medicated, Wala said. Ron Wilkins, The Indianapolis Star, 3 Apr. 2023 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 See all Example Sentences for medicate 

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

Time Traveler
The first known use of medicate was circa 1623

Dictionary Entries Near medicate

Cite this Entry

“Medicate.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/medicate. Accessed 3 Dec. 2024.

Medical Definition

medicate

transitive verb
med·​i·​cate ˈmed-ə-ˌkāt How to pronounce medicate (audio)
medicated; medicating
1
: to treat medicinally
2
: to impregnate with a medicinal substance
medicated soap

More from Merriam-Webster on medicate

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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