medication
Americannoun
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medications
plural
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the use or application of medicine.
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a medicinal substance; medicament.
noun
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treatment with drugs or remedies
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a drug or remedy
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of medication
1375–1425; late Middle English < Latin medicātiōn- (stem of medicātiō ). See medicate, -ion
Explanation
If your doctor prescribes something for you to take, it's medication. Medication is another way to say "medicine" or "drug." Your poison ivy rash might be so bad that you need to take medication to stop the itching. People need medication for all sorts of illnesses and disorders throughout their lives, from headache medication to medication for cancer treatment. In the fifteenth century, the word meant "medical treatment of a disease or wound," from the Latin medicationem, "healing or cure," with its root in medicus, which means both "healing" and "physician."
Vocabulary lists containing medication
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Pharmacy Words
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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.
See Examples For:
The researchers repurposed an existing medication and paired it with an advanced gel designed to keep the drug inside the joint.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 8, 2026
Losing weight, whether through diet and exercise or taking a GLP-1 medication, reduces the pressure on spinal discs and vertebrae and the hinge of the knee.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Officials said they suspect medication he was taking induced a false result, allowing his entry into the country.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
He received medication and needling therapy to address the issue, he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026
I couldn’t bend over a drinking fountain and take medication that way; I either choked or accidentally spit my pills all over the basin.
From "Darius the Great Is Not Okay" by Adib Khorram
Viatris has agreed to acquire Pacira BioXciences, acquiring its portfolio of non-opioid pain medications.
From Barron's ● Oct. 8, 2026
That GLP-s can either relieve back and knee pain or bring on musculoskeletal issues due to rapid weight loss is indicative of how little we know about how these powerful medications work.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 8, 2026
Kenya's health ministry official Patrick Amoth said the patient might have passed screening after taking medications that masked his symptoms.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
In many cases, blood pressure can be controlled through lifestyle changes such as weight loss, healthy diets and exercise, along with treatment using any of a variety of medications.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
He pays an additional $500 a month for her medications.
From "Class Matters" by The New York 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.
