INDEX:
1. drunk
2. a little drunk
3. very drunk
4. to get drunk
5. to drive while you are drunk
6. someone who is often drunk
7. an occasion when people get drunk
8. when you feel ill the day after you have been drinking
9. not drunk
10. able to drink a lot of alcohol
RELATED WORDS
see also
↑ DRINK
↑ DRUG
↑ UNCONSCIOUS
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1. drunk
▷ drunk /drʌŋk/ [adjective]
someone who is drunk has drunk too much alcohol and cannot think clearly or behave sensibly :
▪ She was so drunk she could hardly stand up.
▪ Gary was too drunk to remember what had happened that night.
get drunk
become drunk
▪ I just hope they don’t get too drunk and start fighting.
▷ pissed /pɪst/ [adjective not before noun] British spoken
drunk - many people consider this to be an impolite word :
▪ Every time she goes to a party she gets pissed.
▪ Don’t listen to him - he’s pissed.
▷ have had too much to drink/have had one too many /həv hæd ˌtuː mʌtʃ tə ˈdrɪŋk, həv hæd ˌwʌn tuː ˈmeni/ [verb phrase]
to have drunk too much alcohol so that you feel very drunk or sick :
▪ I’d better take Tanya home - she’s had too much to drink.
▪ He usually has one too many and starts making a fool of himself.
▷ drunken /ˈdrʌŋkən/ [adjective only before noun] written
a drunken person is drunk and their drunken behaviour shows that they are drunk :
▪ A couple of drunken sailors were arguing with a policeman outside the bar.
▪ The place was full of noise and drunken shouting.
drunken brawl
a fight between people who are drunk
▪ Many of their beer parties ended in a drunken brawl.
in a drunken stupor
almost unconscious as a result of being drunk
▪ We found him lying by the roadside in a drunken stupor.
drunkenness [uncountable noun]
▪ She hated Morel because of his constant drunkenness and his violent temper.
▷ intoxicated /ɪnˈtɒksɪkeɪtəd, ɪnˈtɒksəkeɪtədǁ-ˈtɑːk-/ [] formal
drunk - use this especially in legal, official, and medical contexts :
▪ Jensen was found guilty of driving while intoxicated.
▪ Our policy is not to serve alcohol to anyone who is already intoxicated.
intoxication /ɪnˌtɒksɪˈkeɪʃ ə n, ɪnˌtɒksəˈkeɪʃ ə nǁ-ˌtɑːk-/ [uncountable noun] formal :
▪ He’s already been arrested twice for public intoxication.
▷ have been drinking /həv biːn ˈdrɪŋkɪŋǁ-bɪn-/ [verb phrase]
use this about someone who you know has been drinking alcohol because they are behaving as if they were drunk or because you can smell alcohol on their breath :
▪ Have you guys been drinking all day?
▪ She answered the door in her bathrobe and I could tell she’d been drinking.
2. a little drunk
▷ tipsy /ˈtɪpsi/ [adjective]
▪ After the second glass of wine I was feeling a little tipsy.
▪ We went out to dinner, got a little tipsy, and ended up at my place.
▷ mellow /ˈmeləʊ/ [adjective]
pleasantly friendly and ready to talk because you are slightly drunk :
▪ She wasn’t drunk yet, but she was feeling nice and mellow and happy.
▪ She poured him another glass of brandy to keep him in a mellow mood.
▷ merry /ˈmeri/ [adjective not before noun] British
feeling happy and friendly because you are slightly drunk :
▪ We were all very merry by the time the party broke up.
▪ Some of the officers got quite merry celebrating our recent victory.
▷ buzzed /bʌzd/ [adjective not before noun] American spoken
feeling slightly drunk :
▪ This stuff is strong - I’m already a little buzzed.
3. very drunk
▷ blind drunk /ˌblaɪnd ˈdrʌŋk/ [adjective not before noun]
▪ Every Saturday night he came home blind drunk.
▪ Don’t give him anything more to drink. He’s already blind drunk.
▷ roaring drunk /ˌrɔːrɪŋ ˈdrʌŋk/ [adjective not before noun]
very drunk and very noisy :
▪ They were all roaring drunk and kept singing bawdy songs.
▷ smashed/plastered/trashed /ˈsmæʃt, ˈplɑːstəʳdǁˈplæs-, træʃt/ [adjective not before noun] spoken informal
very drunk :
▪ We went to a nightclub in town last night and got absolutely plastered.
▪ She came home completely smashed at about 2 o'clock this morning.
▪ Man, you were so trashed. How much did you have to drink?
▷ bombed/loaded/wasted /bɒmdǁbɑːmd, ˈləʊdə̇d, ˈweɪstə̇d/ [adjective not before noun] American spoken
very drunk :
▪ Did you see Kim at Rob’s party? She was totally wasted.
▪ He’s loaded. Somebody better call him a cab.
▪ I was so bombed, I can’t even remember half of what I did.
▷ paralytic/legless /ˌpærəˈlɪtɪk◂, ˈlegləs/ [adjective not before noun] British spoken
extremely drunk :
▪ Don’t give Dave any more to drink -- he’s already legless.
▪ The day I got my exam results we went out and got absolutely paralytic.
4. to get drunk
▷ get drunk /ˌget ˈdrʌŋk/ [verb phrase]
▪ Their idea of a good time is to go out and get drunk.
▪ I can’t remember the last time I got drunk.
get drunk on
▪ She sometimes gets drunk on two glasses of wine.
▷ drown your sorrows /ˌdraʊn jɔːʳ ˈsɒrəʊzǁ-ˈsɑː-/ [verb phrase]
to drink a lot of alcohol with the purpose of getting drunk, in order to forget your problems :
▪ After his girlfriend left he spent the evening drowning his sorrows in a local bar.
drown your sorrows in
▪ You can’t just sit around day after day drowning your sorrows in whiskey.
▷ hit the bottle /ˌhɪt ðə ˈbɒtlǁ-ˈbɑːtl/ [verb phrase] informal
to start to drink a lot of alcohol regularly, especially in order to forget your problems :
▪ When his wife died he hit the bottle again.
▪ My sister’s been hitting the bottle a lot lately and her work is starting to suffer.
5. to drive while you are drunk
▷ drink and drive /ˌdrɪŋk ən ˈdraɪv/ [verb phrase]
an expression meaning to drive after you have been drinking alcohol, used especially in warnings about the dangers of doing this :
▪ Val’s not the kind of person who would drink and drive.
▪ I don’t care if people who drink and drive kill themselves - what worries me is that they might kill someone else.
▷ drink driving British /drunk/drunken driving American /ˌdrɪŋk ˈdraɪvɪŋ, ˌdrʌŋk, ˌdrʌŋkən ˈdraɪvɪŋ/ [uncountable noun]
the act of driving while under the influence of alcohol :
▪ Drink driving causes over 800 deaths a year on the roads.
▪ He was convicted of drunk driving and had his license suspended.
drunk/drunken driver /ˌdrʌŋk, ˌdrʌŋkən ˈdraɪvəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who drives while they are drunk :
▪ Her husband was nearly killed by a drunk driver.
▷ be over the limit /biː ˌəʊvəʳ ðə ˈlɪmə̇t/ [verb phrase] especially British
to have drunk more alcohol than is legal and safe for driving :
▪ He was caught driving over the limit and had to pay a large fine.
▪ In a large proportion of fatal accidents it is found that one driver is over the limit.
▷ under the influence /ˌʌndəʳ ði ˈɪnfluəns/ [adverb] formal
if someone drives under the influence, they drive when they are drunk - used especially by the police and in news reports :
▪ Driving under the influence is a very serious offense.
▪ Witnesses claimed that Jones was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident.
▷ DUI/DWI /ˌdiː juː ˈaɪ, ˌdiː dʌb ə ljuː ˈaɪ/ American
the crime of driving while you are drunk :
▪ It was his first DUI offense.
▪ I’ve never had a DUI or any kind of drugs record.
6. someone who is often drunk
▷ alcoholic /ˌælkəˈhɒlɪk◂ǁ-ˈhɔː-/ [countable noun]
someone who drinks too much alcohol and cannot stop :
▪ Many alcoholics do not realize that they have a problem until it is too late.
▪ I usually have a drink or two after work, but I don’t think I’m an alcoholic.
▷ drunk /drʌŋk/ [countable noun]
someone who is drunk or who often gets drunk - use this especially about someone you see in a public place such as a street or a bar :
▪ A couple of drunks were passed out on the sidewalk.
▪ I don’t like to take the bus at night. It’s full of drunks and crazy people.
▷ drinker /ˈdrɪŋkəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who often drinks a lot of alcohol :
▪ He had the watery eyes and swollen nose of a drinker.
heavy drinker
someone who regularly drinks a lot of alcohol
▪ Paul and Jane were both heavy drinkers and spent most of their time in the local bar.
hard drinker
someone who regularly drinks a lot of alcohol
▪ He quickly earned the reputation as a hard drinker and hell-raiser.
▷ have a drink problem British /have a drinking problem American /hæv ə ˈdrɪŋk ˌprɒbləm, hæv ə ˈdrɪŋkɪŋ ˌprɒbləmǁ -ˌprɑːb-/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to be unable to stop the habit of drinking too much alcohol, so that it has a bad effect on your life :
▪ My sister has a drink problem but she won’t admit it.
▪ From everything you tell me, it sounds as if your husband may have a drinking problem.
▷ lush /lʌʃ/ [countable noun] American informal
someone who is often drunk - often used humorously :
▪ You’ll see her sitting at the bar all day. She’s a real lush.
▪ What are you drinking, you big lush?
▷ drunkard /ˈdrʌŋkəʳd/ [countable noun]
someone who is drunk very often - used especially in literature :
▪ They were all drunkards, but Arthur was the worst of them all.
▪ Unfortunately she had married an incurable drunkard.
7. an occasion when people get drunk
▷ booze-up /ˈbuːz ʌp/ [countable noun] British informal
a party or other occasion where people drink a lot of alcohol :
▪ We usually get together with our friends for a booze-up at Christmas.
▷ drunken /ˈdrʌŋkən/ [adjective only before noun]
drunken party/night/orgy etc
where people drink a lot of alcohol :
▪ The two met at a drunken party in college.
▷ boozy /ˈbuːzi/ [adjective only before noun] especially British, informal
a boozy occasion is one on which people drink a lot of alcohol :
▪ She’s going for a boozy night out with her friends.
8. when you feel ill the day after you have been drinking
▷ hangover /ˈhæŋəʊvəʳ/ [countable noun]
the feeling you have the morning after you have drunk too much alcohol, when your head hurts and you feel sick :
▪ Kevin woke up the next day with a terrible hangover.
have/have got a hangover
▪ Could you try to keep the noise down? I’ve got a hangover.
▪ After all you had to drink last night, I’m surprised you don’t have a hangover.
9. not drunk
▷ sober /ˈsəʊbəʳ/ [adjective not before noun]
not drunk :
▪ I don’t think I’ve ever seen Bill sober.
▪ I’ll drive you home - I think I’m the only one here that’s sober.
▷ sober up /ˌsəʊbər ˈʌp/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
if someone who has been drunk sobers up, they gradually become less drunk until they are not drunk at all :
▪ He didn’t sober up till he’d had a cup of strong coffee.
▪ Give her a little time to sober up.
10. able to drink a lot of alcohol
▷ can hold your drink British /can hold your liquor/alcohol American /kən ˌhəʊld jɔːʳ ˈdrɪŋk, kən ˌhəʊld jɔːʳ ˈlɪkəʳ, ˈælkəhɒlǁ-hɔːl/ [verb phrase]
if you can hold your drink, you are able to drink a large amount of alcohol without getting drunk :
▪ He can really hold his drink. I’ve seen him drink seven whiskies and still play a good game of billiards.
▪ Debra giggled again - she’d never held her liquor very well.