intoxicate

[ verb in-tok-si-keyt; adjective in-tok-suh-kit, -keyt ]

/ verb ɪnˈtɒk sɪˌkeɪt; adjective ɪnˈtɒk sə kɪt, -ˌkeɪt /

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See synonyms for: intoxicate / intoxicated / intoxicating on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), in·tox·i·cat·ed, in·tox·i·cat·ing.

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.

to make enthusiastic; elate strongly, as by intoxicants; exhilarate: The prospect of success intoxicated him.

Pathology. to poison.

verb (used without object), in·tox·i·cat·ed, in·tox·i·cat·ing.

to cause or produce intoxication: having the power to intoxicate.

adjective

Archaic. intoxicated.

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Origin of intoxicate

1375–1425; late Middle English <Medieval Latin intoxicātus, past participle of intoxicāre to poison. See in-², toxic, -ate¹

OTHER WORDS FROM intoxicate

in·tox·i·ca·ble

[in-tok-si-kuh-buhl], /ɪnˈtɒk sɪ kə bəl/, adjectivein·tox·i·ca·tor, noun

Words nearby intoxicate

in toto, Intourist, in tow, intown, intoxicant, intoxicate, intoxicated, intoxicating, intoxication, intoxicative, intr.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for intoxicate

In April, Kauai Mayor Derek Kawakami called a Florida man a “covidiot” after the man arrived on the island intoxicated and without any proof of accommodations in an effort to get away with quarantine rules.
A Hawaii couple knew they had coronavirus before flying. They boarded a flight anyway and were arrested, police say.|Andrea Salcedo|December 3, 2020|Washington Post
Lest you be martyred slaves of Time, intoxicate yourselves, be drunken without cease!
Charles Baudelaire, His Life|Thophile Gautier
She threw him one of those glances that intoxicate like wine.
The Child of Pleasure|Gabriele D'Annunzio
The servant here observed that such a quantity of wine in the morning might intoxicate rather than benefit.
The Chronicles of Crime or The New Newgate Calendar. v. 1/2|Camden Pelham

And no praise can say more for this marvellous man than the fact that the incense burned at his shrine did not intoxicate him.
Chapters on Jewish Literature|Israel Abrahams
This is a sample of the spiritual wine we have talked of—something to elevate and intoxicate.
Chambers's Edinburgh Journal, No. 443|Various

British Dictionary definitions for intoxicate

intoxicate

/ (ɪnˈtɒksɪˌkeɪt) /

verb (tr)

(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

to stimulate, excite, or elate so as to overwhelm

(of a drug) to poison

Derived forms of intoxicate

intoxicable, adjectiveintoxicative, adjectiveintoxicator, noun

Word Origin for intoxicate

C16: from Medieval Latin, from intoxicāre to poison, from Latin toxicum poison; see toxic

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Medical definitions for intoxicate

intoxicate

[ ĭn-tŏk′sĭ-kāt′ ]

v.

To stupefy or excite, as by the action of a chemical substance such as alcohol.

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intoxicate

verb (used with object), in·tox·i·cat·ed, in·tox·i·cat·ing.