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

"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

Still under the influence of the propaganda she had absorbed as a child, she had not then grasped the degree of Mao’s cruelty and cynicism.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 14, 2026

"This means that the brains of our ancestors developed under the influence of a potent toxic metal, which may have shaped their social behavior and cognitive abilities over millennia."

From Science Daily • Nov. 16, 2025

A major issue is the expanding bear population, which is growing fast due to an abundance of food -- including acorns, deer and boars -- under the influence of a warming climate, experts say.

From Barron's • Nov. 8, 2025

Of all the states that fell under the influence of Rome, Mark Antony needed Egypt’s resources the most.

From "Sterling Biographies®: Cleopatra: Egypt's Last and Greatest Queen" by Susan Blackaby