drunk

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.

• enPR: drŭngk, IPA^(key): /dɹʌŋk/

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• Rhymes: -ʌŋk

drunk (comparative drunker, superlative drunkest)

1. Intoxicated as a result of excessive alcohol consumption, usually by drinking alcoholic beverages.
   • 1885–1888, Richard F[rancis] Burton, transl. and editor, “Night 557”, in A Plain and Literal Translation of the Arabian Nights’ Entertainments, now Entituled The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night […], Shammar edition, volume (please specify the volume), [London]: […] Burton Club […], →OCLC:

     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.

   • 2013 May 9, Dan Shive, El Goonish Shive (webcomic), Comic for Thursday, May 9, 2013:

     "What part of 'you got drunk' did our parents misunderstand?" "I only drank a few shots!"

2. (derogatory) Habitually or frequently in a state of intoxication.
3. (usually followed by with or on) Elated or emboldened.

   Drunk with power, he immediately ordered a management reshuffle.

   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter XV, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volume (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     drunk with recent prosperity

4. Drenched or saturated with moisture or liquid.
   • 1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Deuteronomy 32:42:

     I will make mine arrows drunk with blood.

• (intoxicated from alcohol): See Thesaurus:drunk
• (habitually or frequently intoxicated from alcohol): boozy, sottish
• (saturated with moisture): See Thesaurus:wet
• (slightly intoxicated): tipsy, buzzed

• Sranan Tongo: drungu
  • Aukan: duungu
  • Saramaccan: döö́ngö

drunk (comparative more drunk, superlative most drunk)

1. While drunk.

   Hypernym: under the influence

   He was arrested for driving drunk.

drunk (plural drunks)

1. One who is intoxicated with alcohol.
   • 2025 November 26, Howard Johnston, “Top 10: Influential ministers: Barbara Castle 1965-68”, in RAIL, number 1049, page 61:

     She famously could not drive, but she introduced the breathalyser test to prosecute drunks who tried to.

2. A habitual drinker, especially one who is frequently intoxicated.

   Synonyms: alcoholic, drunkard, pisshead, piss artist, sot; see also Thesaurus:drunkard

   • 1971, William S. Burroughs, The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead, page 10:

     Another drunk is sleeping in dangerous proximity to a brush fire.

3. A person whose behaviour when drunk tends to be of a specified kind.

   He's a talkative drunk; three beers in and he's chattering away about everything.

4. A drinking bout; a period of drunkenness.
   • 1858 June 8, “A Scarcity of Jurors—Cangemi's Third Trial”, in New York Times, page 4:

     Gen. G. had been on a long drunk from July last until Christmas.

   • 1924 July [1923 August], Samuel Badisch Ornitz, “Sixth Period”, in Haunch Paunch and Jowl, eighth printing, New York, N.Y.: Boni and Liveright, section I, page 265:

     I wisht somebody would take me off on a drunk. I want to get stinkin', paralyzin', forgettin'-drunk […].

   • 1983 December 10, Veneita Porter, “A Little Help From Mom”, in Gay Community News, volume 11, number 21, page 14:

     Life probably would have continued in blissful ignorance if it had not been for Vito's occasional late-night drunks. Usually he got plastered and misplaced his keys […] and bellowed obscenities into our shared hallway.

   • 2004, Wes Anderson, Noah Baumbach, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, spoken by Steve Zissou (Bill Murray):

     Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go on an overnight drunk, and in 10 days I'm going to set out to find the shark that ate my friend and destroy it. Anyone who wants to tag along is more than welcome.

5. A drunken state.
   • 2006, Patrick McCabe, Winterwood, Bloomsbury, published 2007, page 10:

     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!

drunk

1. past participle of drink
2. (Southern US) simple past of drink

• Knurd, knurd