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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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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.

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Supporters stress that psychedelic therapy is very different from recreational drug use.

From BBC ● Sep. 29, 2026

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

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