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

See Examples For:

under the influence

The driver did not “display signs or symptoms of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” authorities said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 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

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

From Slate ● Jun. 5, 2026

Findings are prone to distortion under the influence of nonpsychiatric factors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 10, 2026

As I exchanged a translation for an exercise, I happened to look his way: there I found myself under the influence of the ever-watchful blue eye.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë