drunk

adjective

1. being in a temporary state in which one’s physical and mental faculties are impaired by an excess of alcoholic drink; intoxicated: The wine made him drunk.
2. overcome or dominated by a strong feeling or emotion: drunk with power; drunk with joy.
3. pertaining to or caused by intoxication or intoxicated persons.

noun

4. an intoxicated person.
5. a spree; drinking party.

verb

6. past participle and nonstandard simple past tense of drink.

verb (used without object), drank or (Nonstandard) drunk, drunk or, often, drank, drink·ing.

1. to take water or other liquid into the mouth and swallow it; imbibe.
2. to imbibe alcoholic drinks, especially habitually or to excess; tipple: He never drinks. They won’t find jobs until they stop drinking.
3. to show one’s respect, affection, or hopes with regard to a person, thing, or event by ceremoniously taking a swallow of wine or some other drink (often followed by to): They drank to his victory.
4. to be savored or enjoyed by drinking: a wine that will drink deliciously for many years.

verb (used with object), drank or (Nonstandard) drunk, drunk or, often, drank, drink·ing.

5. to take (a liquid) into the mouth and swallow.
6. to take in (a liquid) in any manner; absorb.
7. to take in through the senses, especially with eagerness and pleasure (often followed by in): He drank in the beauty of the scene.
8. to swallow the contents of (a cup, glass, etc.).
9. to propose or participate in a toast to (a person, thing, or event): to drink one’s health.

noun

10. any liquid that is swallowed to quench thirst, for nourishment, etc.; beverage.
11. liquor; alcohol.
12. excessive indulgence in alcohol: Drink was his downfall.
13. a swallow or draft of liquid; potion: She took a drink of water before she spoke.
14. Informal. a large body of water, as a lake, ocean, river, etc. (usually preceded by the): His teammates threw him in the drink.

adjective

1. intoxicated with alcohol to the extent of losing control over normal physical and mental functions
2. overwhelmed by strong influence or emotiondrunk with joy

noun

3. a person who is drunk or drinks habitually to excess
4. informal a drinking bout

verb drinks, drinking, drank (dræŋk) or drunk (drʌŋk)

1. to swallow (a liquid); imbibe
2. (tr) to take in or soak up (liquid); absorbthis plant drinks a lot of water
3. (tr usually foll by in) to pay close attention (to); be fascinated (by)he drank in the speaker’s every word
4. (tr) to bring (oneself into a certain condition) by consuming alcohol
5. (tr often foll by away) to dispose of or ruin by excessive expenditure on alcoholhe drank away his fortune
6. (intr) to consume alcohol, esp to excess
7. (when intr, foll by to) to drink (a toast) in celebration, honour, or hope (of)
8. drink someone under the table to be able to drink more intoxicating beverage than someone
9. drink the health of to salute or celebrate with a toast
10. drink with the flies Australian informal to drink alone

noun

11. liquid suitable for drinking; any beverage
12. alcohol or its habitual or excessive consumption
13. a portion of liquid for drinking; draught
14. the drink informal the sea

adj.

past participle of drink, used as an adjective from mid-14c. in sense “intoxicated.” In various expressions, e.g. “drunk as a lord” (1891); Chaucer has “dronke … as a Mous” (c.1386); and, from 1709, “as Drunk as a Wheelbarrow.” Medieval folklore distinguished four successive stages of drunkenness, based on the animals they made men resemble: sheep, lion, ape, sow. Drunk driver first recorded 1948. Drunk-tank “jail cell for drunkards” attested by 1912, American English. The noun meaning “drunken person” is from 1852; earlier this would have been a drunkard.

v.

Old English drincan “to drink,” also “to swallow up, engulf” (class III strong verb; past tense dranc, past participle druncen), from Proto-Germanic *drengkan (cf. Old Saxon drinkan, Old Frisian drinka, Dutch drinken, Old High German trinkan, German trinken, Old Norse drekka, Gothic drigkan “to drink”), of uncertain origin, perhaps from a root meaning “to draw.” Not found outside Germanic.

Most Indo-European words for this trace to PIE *po(i)- (cf. Greek pino, Latin biber, Irish ibim, Old Church Slavonic piti, Russian pit’; see imbibe).

The noun meaning “beverage, alcoholic beverage” was in late Old English.

The noun, AS. drinc, would normally have given southern drinch (cf. drench), but has been influenced by the verb. [Weekley]

To drink like a fish is first recorded 1747.

In addition to the idioms beginning with drink

• drink like a fish
• drink to

also see:

• drive someone crazy (to drink)
• into the drink
• meat and drink to
• nurse a drink