medication
Americannoun
-
the use or application of medicine.
-
a medicinal substance; medicament.
noun
-
treatment with drugs or remedies
-
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:
In recent months, Eli Lilly ran an advertisement promoting the results of a company-sponsored study comparing the highest doses of its obesity medication Zepbound with lower doses of Novo Nordisk’s obesity medication Wegovy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
It lets eligible New Yorkers with six months or less left to live obtain and take life-ending medication.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 20, 2026
Other factors, including physical activity, overall health, medication use, genetics, and lifestyle, could also have influenced the findings.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 18, 2026
Etchells says her own breakthrough happened when she saw a female GP who put her on medication and referred her to a gynaecologist.
From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026
She also wants to see me every week for therapy, and says I need to take medication to balance out my brain.
From "I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter" by Erika L. Sánchez
Type 2 diabetes can sometimes be put into remission by eating a healthy diet and keeping slim without needing to rely on glucose-lowering medications.
From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026
Novo Nordisk is suing Eli Lilly, saying the American drug manufacturer runs deceptive ads that unfairly compare the companies’ GLP-1 medications.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
The team is examining safe medications that are already in use, including the diabetes drug Metformin and the antiseizure drug Stiripentol.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 20, 2026
Rollin’s business has helped treat people with eating disorders who’ve obtained GLP-1 medications to suppress their appetites, as well as those who were triggered into disordered eating while taking the drugs for approved conditions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
Bri would need food, Alex thought, and medications.
From "The Dead and the Gone" by Susan Beth Pfeffer
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.
