drunk

American  

[druhngk] / drʌŋk /

adjective

1. 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.

   Synonyms:

   inebriated, drunken

   Antonyms:

   sober

2. overcome or dominated by a strong feeling or emotion.

   drunk with power;

   drunk with joy.

3. 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.

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noun

1. an intoxicated person.

   A couple of rude, grabby drunks ruined the parade for her.

2. Disparaging and Offensive. a habitual drinker of alcohol who is frequently intoxicated.

3. a spree; drinking party.

   We rolled back into town after a four-day drunk, looking like hell.

verb

1. past participle and nonstandard simple past tense of drink.

drunk British  

/ drʌŋk /

adjective

1. intoxicated with alcohol to the extent of losing control over normal physical and mental functions

2. overwhelmed by strong influence or emotion

   drunk with joy

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noun

1. a person who is drunk or drinks habitually to excess

2. informal a drinking bout

Usage

See drink ( def. ).

Commonly Confused

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.

Other Word Forms

• half-drunk adjective
• undrunk adjective

Etymology

Origin of drunk

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English drunken, Old English druncen, past participle of drincan “to swallow liquid, drink”; drink

Example Sentences

Even Sheriff Taylor had the occasion to welcome someone worse than Otis the town drunk into the Mayberry jail.

From Los Angeles Times

She said police made no notes of what she said, and did not believe her, questioned how much she had drunk.

From BBC

The score is a comical barrage of harp strums, as if heaven’s angels have gotten good and drunk.

From Los Angeles Times

God knew I had drunk enough on my journey, but I was sweating now, and I poured water over myself to cool down.

From Literature

French authorities are investigating the deaths in December and January of two babies who were thought to have drunk possibly contaminated powdered milk.

From Barron's

Related Words

• stoned
• tipsy