intoxicate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to affect temporarily with diminished physical and mental control by means of alcoholic liquor, a drug, or another substance, especially to excite or stupefy with liquor.
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to make enthusiastic; elate strongly, as by intoxicants; exhilarate.
The prospect of success intoxicated him.
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Pathology. to poison.
verb (used without object)
adjective
verb
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(of an alcoholic drink) to produce in (a person) a state ranging from euphoria to stupor, usually accompanied by loss of inhibitions and control; make drunk; inebriate
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to stimulate, excite, or elate so as to overwhelm
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(of a drug) to poison
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of intoxicate
1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin intoxicātus, past participle of intoxicāre to poison. See in- 2, toxic, -ate 1
Explanation
Alcohol's effect on most people, especially when they drink too much of it, is to intoxicate them. If you're not used to drinking, a glass of Champagne may intoxicate you. Beer, wine, and hard liquor can all intoxicate those who drink them. It's worth noting that in the fifteenth century, intoxicate meant "to poison." A less poisonous way to intoxicate is to "fill with delight or happiness." A gorgeous summer day might intoxicate you, or winning first prize in poetry contest.
Vocabulary lists containing intoxicate
"Dr. Heidegger's Experiment" by Nathaniel Hawthorne
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The Wind in the Willows
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Norse Mythology
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Enslaved and dull, of blinded sight, Intoxicate with vain delight, Thou closest still thy heedless eyes To dangers in thy realm that rise.
From The Rámáyan of Válmíki, translated into English verse by Griffith, Ralph T. H. (Ralph Thomas Hotchkin)
Intoxicate me with the wine of sanctity, purity, unity and singleness, O Thou who attractest the hearts of the righteous by the magnet of favors, unto the Kingdom of El-Abha!
From Tablets of Abdul-Baha Abbas by `Abdu'l-Bahá
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
