under the influence

Idioms  

1. Impaired functioning owing to alcohol consumption, as in He was accused of driving under the influence. This expression, from legal jargon, is short for under the influence of intoxicating liquor and implies that one is not completely drunk. Since it is nearly always applied to drivers suspected or so accused, it has given rise to the police acronym DUI, for “driving under the influence.” [Second half of 1800s]

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Example Sentences

In contrast, general relativity describes time as something that can stretch and bend under the influence of mass and energy.

From Science Daily • May 3, 2026

WMO scientific officer John Kennedy said global weather is still under the influence of La Nina, a naturally occurring climate phenomenon that cools surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean.

From Barron's • Mar. 23, 2026

"We know that unlike human drivers, automated vehicles don't get tired, don't get distracted and don't drive under the influence," she said.

From BBC • Jan. 28, 2026

There, he experienced a profound personal crisis and, under the influence of Ambrose, the powerful bishop of Milan, converted to Christianity.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 19, 2025

Lady Constance must have still been under the influence of the special bread Madame Ionesco had provided, for these terrible goings-on seemed not to trouble her at all.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood