prescribe
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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Medicine/Medical. to designate remedies, treatment, etc., to be used.
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Law. to claim a right or title by virtue of long use and enjoyment; make a prescriptive claim. (usually followed by for orto ).
verb
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to lay down as a rule or directive
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law to claim or acquire (a right, title, etc) by prescription
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law to make or become invalid or unenforceable by lapse of time
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med to recommend or order the use of (a drug or other remedy)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonprescribernoun
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prescribernoun
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misprescribeverb
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overprescribeverb
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represcribeverb (used with object)
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prescribableadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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prescribesimple
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prescribessimple
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have prescribedperfect
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has prescribedperfect
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am prescribingprogressive
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are prescribingprogressive
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is prescribingprogressive
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have been prescribingperfect progressive
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has been prescribingperfect progressive
Past
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prescribedsimple
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had prescribedperfect
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was prescribingprogressive
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were prescribingprogressive
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had been prescribingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of prescribe
First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English from Latin praescrībere “to direct in writing,” literally, “to write before or above,” equivalent to prae- pre- + scrībere “to write”; see scribe 1, prescription
Explanation
To prescribe is make orders or give directions for something to be done. These days, the word is mainly used by doctors who prescribe medications to take. Doctors do a lot of prescribing: they prescribe drugs, rest, exercise, and getting rid of bad habits like smoking. When a doctor prescribes something, he or she is saying, "You need to do this. You should do it." That's the most common use of prescribe, but it pops up anywhere someone is advising or ordering someone to do something. All laws and rules prescribe things — they tell you what to do.
Vocabulary lists containing prescribe
Vocabulary from the Constitution of the United States
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"Preamble" and "Bill of Rights," Vocabulary from the U.S. Constitution
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Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)
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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 findings added to the concerns that some critics have raised about compounding pharmacies and telehealth companies, which they say are too quick to prescribe.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
In medical settings even a small gift from a drug company — like a box of doughnuts — can lead doctors to prescribe its brands more often.
From Salon ● Jun. 26, 2026
Coaches prescribe solutions for players, who are selected to execute those ideas.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
The document asks all the right questions and reaches all the wrong conclusions—the way a doctor might correctly identify symptoms and then prescribe a remedy that aggravates the disease.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 9, 2026
Her face filled with sorrow and her voice was shaking when she spoke: “You have to tell me what happened so I can prescribe treatment.”
From "A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier" by Ishmael Beah
The Journal prescribes no political or analytical framework.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026
When he gets sedentary patients, Alter prescribes exercise like a drug.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
At Carafem, a reproductive healthcare company that prescribes abortion medication via telehealth in 19 states and D.C., providers have offered the option of misoprostol-only abortions since 2020.
From Slate ● May 18, 2026
The book under discussion is “The New Rules” by Russian-born TikTok influencer Margarita Nazarenko, who prescribes gender roles that Sokol recognizes as distinctly Eastern European.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 4, 2026
He’s the one who prescribes me meds and sends me to people like Dr. Minerva.
From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini
Which “widely prescribed medications” might the report be talking about?
From Slate ● Jul. 28, 2026
Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks have maintained one of the country's most extensive prescribed fire programs since the 1960s, according to the study.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Instead, Dr Chiappetta has prescribed him a GLP-1 weight-loss injection to reduce his appetite and help him lose enough weight for the operation.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
The Wildfire Emissions Prevention Act would address a glaring irony in our current regulations: They deter prescribed burns due to pollution concerns.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
Her mother had been prescribed new medicine and a special diet, and Miss Perumal must go shopping for her.
From "The Mysterious Benedict Society" by Trenton Lee Stewart
Josh said the GP "found nothing wrong", prescribing more painkillers and referring him to an optician, where again no issue was found.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026
"There is no uniform national framework prescribing consistent standards of financial transparency across all religious institutions," said Sonam Chandwani, managing partner at KS Legal & Associates.
From Barron's ● Jul. 19, 2026
They also do not justify stopping or changing antidepressant treatment without guidance from a prescribing clinician.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 12, 2026
These drugs have side effects that can be serious for some patients, and clinicians should have a full understanding of the patient’s health history before prescribing them, experts say.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
The ringleaders of this school are Descriptivists: they describe how language actually is used rather than prescribing how it ought to be used.
From "The Sense of Style" by Steven Pinker
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.
