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:
Some individual clinicians also prescribe the drug remotely.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
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
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said "decisions about what medicines to prescribe are made by the doctor responsible for the patient's care" and that includes "Xonvea for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy".
From BBC ● Jun. 29, 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
And third, genes had to explain development: How could individual units of instruction prescribe the code to create a mature organism out of an embryo?
From "The Gene" by Siddhartha Mukherjee
"I want every person who prescribes the drug to warn women of the possible side effects," she added.
From BBC ● Jul. 1, 2026
When he gets sedentary patients, Alter prescribes exercise like a drug.
From Barron's ● Jun. 27, 2026
Cassileth prescribes peptides largely to postsurgical patients to help with healing and reducing inflammation.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 20, 2026
Let’s take a look at what Florida law prescribes.
From Slate ● Sep. 15, 2025
To bring them into balance, Dr. Harlow prescribes two powerful drugs—an "emetic" to make Phineas throw up and a "purgative," a powerful laxative, to evacuate his bowels.
From "Phineas Gage" by John Fleischman
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
On the witness stand in 2010, the Virginian-Pilot reported, Truelove said he gained 100 pounds in two months after doctors prescribed psychotropic medications.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
How often, in a year’s turning, have you prescribed antibiotics of any kind for yourself or your family?
From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas
"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
Many telehealth companies and compounding pharmacies say they have strict prescribing rules in place.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 7, 2026
By prescribing GLP-1 medications early, doctors say they aim to prevent lifelong obesity and complications such as Type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure, which are showing up in teens and even younger children.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026
So I fall back on the support networks of my real-life social class, call the dermatologist I know in Key West, and bludgeon him into prescribing something sight unseen.
From "Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America" by Barbara Ehrenreich
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.
