recreational drug

American  

[re-kree-ay-shuhn-uhl druhg] / ˌrɛ kriˈeɪ ʃən əl ˈdrʌg /

noun

recreational drugs plural

1. a drug taken, often casually, for its desired psychological effects or its use in social settings rather than for a medical purpose.

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Other Word Forms

• recreational-drug
  adjective

Example Sentences

The long-awaited move does not legalize marijuana use in states where it is still banned or sanction its use as a recreational drug.

From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026

Dr Haslam told the inquiry on Wednesday that the Skripals' symptoms were "too extreme" for "a normal presentation for recreational drug overdoses".

From BBC • Oct. 31, 2024

Kambo, long used by some Indigenous tribes in South America as a sort of rainforest vaccine, is not a recreational drug.

From New York Times • Jan. 1, 2021

Here was music not as a text to be read nor a recreational drug to be consumed for mood management, but as an audible process of coming-into-being and fading-away.

From New York Times • Jan. 4, 2019