prescription

American  

[pri-skrip-shuhn] / prɪˈskrɪp ʃən /

noun

• prescriptions
  plural

1. Medicine/Medical.

   1. a direction, usually written, by the physician to the pharmacist for the preparation and use of a medicine or remedy.

   2. the medicine prescribed.

      Take this prescription three times a day.

2. an act of prescribing.

3. that which is prescribed.

4. Law.

   1. Also called positive prescription. a long or immemorial use of some right with respect to a thing so as to give a right to continue such use.

   2. Also called positive prescription. the process of acquiring rights by uninterrupted assertion of the right over a long period of time.

   3. Also called negative prescription. the loss of rights to legal remedy due to the limitation of time within which an action can be taken.

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adjective

1. (of drugs) sold only upon medical prescription; ethical.

prescription British  

/ prɪˈskrɪpʃən /

noun

1. 1. written instructions from a physician, dentist, etc, to a pharmacist stating the form, dosage strength, etc, of a drug to be issued to a specific patient

   2. the drug or remedy prescribed

2. (modifier) (of drugs) available legally only with a doctor's prescription

3. 1. written instructions from an optician specifying the lenses needed to correct defects of vision

   2. ( as modifier )

      prescription glasses

4. the act of prescribing

5. something that is prescribed

6. a long established custom or a claim based on one

7. law

   1. the uninterrupted possession of property over a stated period of time, after which a right or title is acquired ( positive prescription )

   2. the barring of adverse claims to property, etc, after a specified period of time has elapsed, allowing the possessor to acquire title ( negative prescription )

   3. the right or title acquired in either of these ways

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• prescriptions
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of prescription

1250–1300; Middle English < Medieval Latin praescrīptiōn- (stem of praescrīptiō ) legal possession (of property), law, order, literally, a writing before, hence, a heading on a document. See prescript, -ion

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Explanation

A prescription is an order written by a doctor for someone to get a drug that is not available without this permission. If you get a bad ear infection, you'll need a prescription for antibiotics. When your doctor writes a prescription, she's advising you to take a medication that you can only get from a pharmacist. You can refer to the paper with the drug's name and the doctor's signature and the bottle of medicine as a prescription. Sometimes prescription is used in a non-medical way to simply mean a suggestion or recommendation, like laughter and friends — a great prescription for chasing away the blues.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prescription prescriptions

The company’s prescription drug plan contract also received a 4.5-star rating for 2027, it said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Compounding pharmacies are pharmacies, you can’t get a drug without a prescription, certainly not a sterile injectable drug.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

Glucosamine is widely sold without a prescription and is especially popular among older adults who take it for joint discomfort and joint health.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

You don’t have to give until there’s nothing left for yourself, especially if you need that $5 for an unexpected prescription or even food.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026

And then, as if someone had changed the prescription on her glasses, she suddenly saw how wild her ideas had gotten.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

Banga has argued in the past that its work should be driven by client countries' demands, not its own prescriptions.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Some people are getting prescriptions for peptides that come from compounded pharmacies, which make customized versions of medications that aren’t FDA approved.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Doctors attempted to treat the actor with prescriptions used for patients with Crohn’s and ulcerative colitis, but nothing worked.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026

NHS medical records can contain highly sensitive personal information, ranging from test results and hospital discharge summaries to details of prescriptions and medications.

From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026

In one of the most bizarre aspects of the Volstead Act, veterinarians were also permitted to write out prescriptions for their four-legged patients.

From "1919 The Year That Changed America" by Martin W. Sandler

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Related Words

• drug
• instruction
• recipe
• remedy

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