under the influence

Idioms  

1. Impaired functioning owing to alcohol consumption, as in He was accused of driving under the influence. This expression, from legal jargon, is short for under the influence of intoxicating liquor and implies that one is not completely drunk. Since it is nearly always applied to drivers suspected or so accused, it has given rise to the police acronym DUI, for “driving under the influence.” [Second half of 1800s]

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Example Sentences

Geren had come under the influence of some midgrade officers, notably Col.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2026

Many parents and teachers have raised concerns that local authorities are under the influence of the AI industry, which has broadly been pushing its wares for government use.

From Barron's • Jun. 5, 2026

Believing we were simply two good people who’d rushed to the altar under the influence of euphoric new love and the pressure of an expiring visa was far less painful than the truth.

From Los Angeles Times • May 22, 2026

There, he experienced a profound personal crisis and, under the influence of Ambrose, the powerful bishop of Milan, converted to Christianity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Gradually, perhaps under the influence of a Middle English AMA, the worm was given sole rights to the word, and the doctor became the doctor, out of dek, meaning to accept, later to teach.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas