What does "drunk" mean?
One who is intoxicated with alcohol.
Drunk
/dɹʌŋk/ adj, adv, noun, verb
adj, adv, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: One who is intoxicated with alcohol.
- Grammar: drunk is listed as adj, adv, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: drunkard, inebriate, a sheet in the wind, a sheet in the wind's eye.
- Useful contrasts: abstemious, clean, clearheaded.
- Usage evidence: You've drunk three cups of coffee.
How to use "drunk"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "drunk" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "drunk" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "drunk" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "drunk" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "drunk" is acting as adj, adv, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "drunkard" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "drunk", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 One who is intoxicated with alcohol.
"She famously could not drive, but she introduced the breathalyser test to prosecute drunks who tried to."
- 2 someone who is intoxicated wordnet
- 3 A habitual drinker, especially one who is frequently intoxicated.
"Another drunk is sleeping in dangerous proximity to a brush fire."
- 4 a chronic drinker wordnet
- 5 A drinking bout; a period of drunkenness.
"Gen. G. had been on a long drunk from July last until Christmas."
Show 1 more definition
- 6 A drunken state.
"Here – help yourself to another drop there, Redmond! By the time we've got a good drunk on us there'll be more crack in this valley than the night I pissed on the electric fence!"
Verb
- 1 past participle of drink form-of, participle, past
- 2 simple past of drink Southern-US, form-of, past
Adjective
- 1 Intoxicated as a result of excessive alcohol consumption, usually by drinking alcoholic beverages.
"So I took a great dry gourd and, cutting open the head, scooped out the inside and cleaned it; after which I gathered grapes from a vine which grew hard by and squeezed them into the gourd, till it was full of the juice. Then I stopped up the mouth and set in the sun, where I left it for some days, until it became strong wine; and every day I used to drink of it, to comfort and sustain me under my fatigues with that from froward and obstinate fiend; and as often as I drank myself drunk, I forgot my troubles and took new heart."
- 2 Habitually or frequently in a state of intoxication. derogatory
- 3 Elated or emboldened. usually
"Drunk with power, he immediately ordered a management reshuffle."
- 4 Drenched or saturated with moisture or liquid.
"I will make mine arrows drunk with blood."
Adjective
- 1 stupefied or excited by a chemical substance (especially alcohol) wordnet
- 2 as if under the influence of alcohol wordnet
Adverb
- 1 While drunk.
"He was arrested for driving drunk."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"You've drunk three cups of coffee."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "drunk"?
Common synonyms include: drunkard, inebriate, a sheet in the wind, a sheet in the wind's eye, ablaze, addled.
How do you use "drunk" in a sentence?
You've drunk three cups of coffee.
How do you pronounce "drunk"?
Pronounced /dɹʌŋk/.
Etymology
From Middle English drunke, drunken, ydrunke, ydrunken, from Old English druncen, ġedruncen (“drunk”), from Proto-Germanic *drunkanaz, *gadrunkanaz (“drunk; drunken”), past participle of Proto-Germanic *drinkaną (“to drink”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian dronken, West Frisian dronken, Dutch dronken, gedronken, German Low German drunken, bedrunken, German trunken, getrunken, betrunken, Swedish drucken, Icelandic drukkinn.