This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
drunk
[ druhngk ]
/ drʌŋk /
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This shows grade level based on the word's complexity.
adjective
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.
overcome or dominated by a strong feeling or emotion: drunk with power; drunk with joy.
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.
noun
verb
past participle and nonstandard simple past tense of drink.
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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
usage note for drunk
See drink.
words often confused with drunk
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.
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 WORDS FROM drunk
half-drunk, adjectiveun·drunk, adjectiveWords nearby drunk
drumskin, drumstick, drum table, drum up, drung, drunk, drunkard, drunkard's chair, drunk as a lord, drunkathon, drunk dial
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use drunk in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for drunk
drunk
/ (drʌŋk) /
adjective
intoxicated with alcohol to the extent of losing control over normal physical and mental functions
overwhelmed by strong influence or emotiondrunk with joy
noun
a person who is drunk or drinks habitually to excess
informal a drinking bout
Word Origin for drunk
Old English druncen, past participle of drincan to drink; see drink
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
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