intoxicate
Americanverb (used with object)
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to affect temporarily with diminished physical and mental control by means of alcoholic liquor, a drug, or another substance, especially to excite or stupefy with liquor.
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to make enthusiastic; elate strongly, as by intoxicants; exhilarate.
The prospect of success intoxicated him.
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Pathology. to poison.
verb (used without object)
adjective
verb
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(of an alcoholic drink) to produce in (a person) a state ranging from euphoria to stupor, usually accompanied by loss of inhibitions and control; make drunk; inebriate
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to stimulate, excite, or elate so as to overwhelm
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(of a drug) to poison
Other Word Forms
- intoxicable adjective
- intoxicative adjective
- intoxicator noun
Etymology
Origin of intoxicate
1375–1425; late Middle English < Medieval Latin intoxicātus, past participle of intoxicāre to poison. See in- 2, toxic, -ate 1
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.
It smells like any other tree—dusty and woody —but I know that deep inside is an intoxicating scent.
From Literature
That's what makes this season so intoxicating; so much jeopardy, so much unpredictability and so many teams who have come to the party.
From BBC
There’s the bubbling hum of rice boiling on the stove, the intoxicating aroma of warm milk infused with jaggery and fresh pods of cardamom filling the house with a scent no candle could compete with.
From Salon
The dirty laundry triggered an avalanche of press coverage when the album arrived in November, but the songs have lingered as everyone remembers just how well Allen can craft an intoxicating pop hook.
From BBC
Until “Anónimo,” the Argentine avant-garde had never sounded so intoxicatingly sensuous.
From Los Angeles Times
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
