drunk

American  

[druhngk] / drʌŋk /

adjective

1. being in a temporary state in which one's physical and mental faculties are impaired by an excess of alcohol; intoxicated.

   The wine made him drunk.

   Synonyms:

   inebriated, drunken

   Antonyms:

   sober

2. overcome or dominated by a strong feeling or emotion.

   drunk with power;

   drunk with joy.

3. pertaining to or caused by intoxication or intoxicated persons; drunken.

   The semester before I dropped out was just a blur of drunk hookups and missed classes.

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noun

1. an intoxicated person.

   A couple of rude, grabby drunks ruined the parade for her.

2. Disparaging and Offensive. a habitual drinker of alcohol who is frequently intoxicated.

3. a spree; drinking party.

   We rolled back into town after a four-day drunk, looking like hell.

verb

1. past participle and nonstandard simple past tense of drink.

drunk British  

/ drʌŋk /

adjective

1. intoxicated with alcohol to the extent of losing control over normal physical and mental functions

2. overwhelmed by strong influence or emotion

   drunk with joy

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noun

1. a person who is drunk or drinks habitually to excess

2. informal a drinking bout

Usage

See drink ( def. ).

Commonly Confused

Both drunk and drunken are used as modifiers before nouns naming persons: a drunk customer; a drunken merrymaker. Only drunk occurs after a linking verb: He was not drunk, just jovial. The actor was drunk with success. The modifier drunk in legal language describes a person whose blood contains more than the legally allowed percentage of alcohol: Drunk drivers go to jail. Drunken, not drunk, is almost always the form used with nouns that do not name persons: drunken arrogance; a drunken free-for-all. In such uses it normally has the sense “pertaining to, caused by, or marked by intoxication.” Drunken is also idiomatic in such expressions as drunken bum or drunken sailor.

Other Word Forms

• half-drunk
  adjective
• undrunk
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of drunk

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English drunken, Old English druncen, past participle of drincan “to swallow liquid, drink”; see origin at drink

Explanation

If you consume so much alcohol that you become inebriated, you are drunk. If you do it too often, you may become a drunk, which is another, blunter, word for "alcoholic." For the last 600 years or so, the word drunk has been used to describe someone who is intoxicated. Someone who's drunk from alcohol might be unsteady on their feet, slur their speech, or not be able to think straight. But you also can be drunk on things like power, passion or hope. This kind of drunk involves strong feelings or intoxicating emotions instead of one too many beers.

Example Sentences

Several "disproportionately represented" brands, such as Glow, Drunk Elephant or The Ordinary, market themselves as healthy, supposedly natural alternatives to chemical-laden competitors.

From Barron's • Nov. 28, 2025

If zoomers are delicate snowflakes, alphas are the opposite — a horde of marauders chasing Drunk Elephant beauty products.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2024

BBC News has approached Drunk Elephant for further comment.

From BBC • Jan. 26, 2024

For instance, Homer and Milk Drunk on Beacon Hill will donate 100% of sales of soft serve ice cream on Nov. 12 to the relief effort.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 10, 2023

Cari’s mother, Candy Lightner, vowed to take on drunk driving and founded Mothers Against Drunk Drivers, later renamed Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

Related Words

• stoned
• tipsy