under the influence

Idioms

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]

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.

Still under the influence of the propaganda she had absorbed as a child, she had not then grasped the degree of Mao’s cruelty and cynicism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

"This means that the brains of our ancestors developed under the influence of a potent toxic metal, which may have shaped their social behavior and cognitive abilities over millennia."

From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2025

A major issue is the expanding bear population, which is growing fast due to an abundance of food -- including acorns, deer and boars -- under the influence of a warming climate, experts say.

From Barron's • Nov. 8, 2025

The 21-year-old truck driver arrested after a fiery crash that killed three people on the 10 Freeway in Ontario was not under the influence of drugs at the time, authorities say.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 6, 2025

I’m clearly not the only one under the influence either—now that “business” has been concluded, everyone connected with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth is letting off steam.

From "Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023