prescription

American  

[pri-skrip-shuhn] / prɪˈskrɪp ʃən /

noun

• prescriptions
  plural

1. Medicine/Medical.

   1. a direction, usually written, by the physician to the pharmacist for the preparation and use of a medicine or remedy.

   2. the medicine prescribed.

      Take this prescription three times a day.

2. an act of prescribing.

3. that which is prescribed.

4. Law.

   1. Also called positive prescription. a long or immemorial use of some right with respect to a thing so as to give a right to continue such use.

   2. Also called positive prescription. the process of acquiring rights by uninterrupted assertion of the right over a long period of time.

   3. Also called negative prescription. the loss of rights to legal remedy due to the limitation of time within which an action can be taken.

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adjective

1. (of drugs) sold only upon medical prescription; ethical.

prescription British  

/ prɪˈskrɪpʃən /

noun

1. 1. written instructions from a physician, dentist, etc, to a pharmacist stating the form, dosage strength, etc, of a drug to be issued to a specific patient

   2. the drug or remedy prescribed

2. (modifier) (of drugs) available legally only with a doctor's prescription

3. 1. written instructions from an optician specifying the lenses needed to correct defects of vision

   2. ( as modifier )

      prescription glasses

4. the act of prescribing

5. something that is prescribed

6. a long established custom or a claim based on one

7. law

   1. the uninterrupted possession of property over a stated period of time, after which a right or title is acquired ( positive prescription )

   2. the barring of adverse claims to property, etc, after a specified period of time has elapsed, allowing the possessor to acquire title ( negative prescription )

   3. the right or title acquired in either of these ways

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• prescriptions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of prescription

1250–1300; Middle English < Medieval Latin praescrīptiōn- (stem of praescrīptiō ) legal possession (of property), law, order, literally, a writing before, hence, a heading on a document. See prescript, -ion

Explanation

A prescription is an order written by a doctor for someone to get a drug that is not available without this permission. If you get a bad ear infection, you'll need a prescription for antibiotics. When your doctor writes a prescription, she's advising you to take a medication that you can only get from a pharmacist. You can refer to the paper with the drug's name and the doctor's signature and the bottle of medicine as a prescription. Sometimes prescription is used in a non-medical way to simply mean a suggestion or recommendation, like laughter and friends — a great prescription for chasing away the blues.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

prescription prescriptions

Compounding pharmacies are pharmacies, you can’t get a drug without a prescription, certainly not a sterile injectable drug.

From Slate ● Oct. 6, 2026

Irwin calls for lowering the cost of living through “expanding affordable housing, investing in reliable and lower-cost energy, reducing prescription drug and child care costs, and creating good-paying jobs that help families get ahead.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 1, 2026

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 19.3% of American adults took a prescription medication for their mental health in 2024, up from 15.8% in 2019.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026

Glucosamine is widely sold without a prescription and is especially popular among older adults who take it for joint discomfort and joint health.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 27, 2026

And then, as if someone had changed the prescription on her glasses, she suddenly saw how wild her ideas had gotten.

From "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliett

The answer should be risk-based policies that protect consumer safety and energy system reliability without one-size-fits-all prescriptions that become barriers to innovation.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Nobody forced viewers to follow his unsound prescriptions.

From Salon ● Sep. 27, 2026

As for Medicare cuts, “I’d budget for premiums, prescriptions and out-of-pocket costs, then test whether the retirement plan still works if those costs rise faster than expected,” she said.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

BBC Wales spoke to one woman who was prescribed testosterone by her NHS GP, but when she moved to a neighbouring health board area her new GP surgery refused to continue the prescriptions.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

But it was obvious that her confidence in her own prescriptions had been shaken.

From "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley

Related Words

• drug
• instruction
• recipe
• remedy