drug

drug 1 S2 W1 / drʌɡ / 名词 [可数名词]

1 an illegal substance such as marijuana or cocaine , which some people take in order to feel happy, relaxed, or excited :

A lot of young people start taking drugs at school.

She always looks as though she’s on drugs (= taking drugs ) .

Jimi Hendrix died of a drug overdose.

2 a medicine, or a substance for making medicines :

a drug used in the treatment of cancer

drug for

new drugs for AIDS-related conditions

Drugs prescribed (= ordered for people ) by doctors can be extremely hazardous if used in the wrong way.

The big drug companies make huge profits.

3 a substance that people doing a sport sometimes take illegally to improve their performance :

She was banned from the Olympics after failing a drug test (= a test that shows if you have taken drugs ) .

performance-enhancing drugs

4 [通常单数形式] a substance such as tobacco, coffee, or alcohol, that makes you want more and more of it

5 be (like) a drug if an activity is like a drug, you enjoy it so much that you want to do it more and more :

Athletics is like a drug – it keeps dragging you back for more.

→ miracle drug at miracle ( 3 )

COLLOCATIONS

动词

take/use drugs I think I took drugs to escape my problems.

do drugs informal (= take drugs ) All my friends were doing drugs.

be on drugs (= take drugs regularly ) It can be very hard to tell if your teenager is on drugs.

be addicted to drugs/dependent on drugs (= be unable to stop taking drugs ) People who are addicted to drugs need help.

be/get hooked on drugs informal (= be/get addicted ) She got hooked on drugs, and ended up homeless.

experiment with drugs (= try taking drugs ) She admitted that she had experimented with drugs.

come off/get off drugs (= stop taking drugs permanently ) It was years before I was able to come off drugs.

deal (in) drugs ( also supply drugs formal ) (= sell drugs ) He’s in jail for dealing drugs.

inject drugs (= use a needle to put drugs into your body ) People who share equipment for injecting drugs are at risk of contracting HIV.

be high on drugs (= be experiencing the effects of a drug ) He committed the crime while he was high on drugs.

drug + NOUN

drug use/abuse (= taking drugs ) She is being treated for drug abuse.

a drug user (= someone who takes drugs ) We set up a counselling service for drug users.

drug addiction (= the problem of not being able to stop taking drugs ) his struggles with alcoholism and drug addiction

a drug addict (= someone who cannot stop taking drugs ) At 20 Steve was a drug addict, unemployed and lonely.

a drug problem (= the problem of being addicted to drugs ) His daughter has a drug problem.

a drug overdose (= taking too much of a drug at one time ) She died from a drug overdose.

a drug dealer/pusher (= someone who sells drugs ) The city’s streets are full of drug dealers.

a drug trafficker/smuggler (= someone involved in bringing drugs into a country ) US efforts against drug traffickers

drug trafficking/smuggling (= the crime of bringing drugs into a country ) The maximum penalty for drug smuggling was 25 years in jail.

the drug trade the international drug trade

the war on drugs (= a long struggle by the authorities to control drugs ) The war on drugs continues.

a drug charge (= a legal accusation that someone is guilty of having or selling drugs ) He’s awaiting trial on a drug charge.

a drug offence (= a crime related to having or selling drugs ) Luciani is serving 20 years for drug offences.

形容词

illegal drugs A lot of crime is connected to illegal drugs.

hard drugs ( also class A drugs British English ) (= strong drugs such as heroin, cocaine etc ) He was in prison for dealing hard drugs.

soft drugs (= less strong drugs such as marijuana ) Soft drugs are legal in some countries.

recreational drugs (= taken for pleasure ) Ecstasy was first used in Britain as a recreational drug in the 1980s.

designer drugs (= produced artificially from chemicals ) Designer drugs are highly addictive and can have unpredictable side effects.

COMMON ERRORS

► Do not say ’ light drugs ‘. Say soft drugs .

Instead of ‘heavy drugs’, you usually say hard drugs .

THESAURUS

medicine 名词 [可数和不可数名词] a substance used for treating illness : Certain medicines should not be taken with alcohol. | Has he taken his medicine?

pill 名词 [可数名词] a small piece of medicine that you swallow : She managed to swallow the pill with a sip of water. | The doctor gave him some pills. | sleeping pills | diet pills | contraceptive pills

tablet 名词 [可数名词] especially British English a small piece of solid medicine : She’s now on four tablets a day. | a five-day course of tablets | sleeping tablets | anti-malaria tablets

antibiotics/aspirin/codeine etc : The doctor put him on a course of antibiotics. | Why don’t you take some aspirin? | The tablets contain codeine, which is unsuitable for people with asthma.

capsule 名词 [可数名词] a small tube-shaped container with medicine inside that you swallow whole : a bottle of 500 capsules of vitamin C | I advised her to take four to six garlic capsules a day for the duration of the treatment.

caplet 名词 [可数名词] a small smooth pill that is slightly longer than it is wide - used especially on bottles and containers : In small type, the consumer is warned not to take more than one caplet per day.

eye/ear drops liquid medicine that you put into your eye or ear : Remember — if you ’re using eye drops for your hay fever, leave your contact lenses out.

cream 名词 [可数和不可数名词] especially British English ( also lotion especially American English ) a thick smooth substance containing medicine, that you put on your skin : an antibiotic cream | antiseptic cream | skin cream

drug 名词 [可数名词] a medicine or a substance for making medicines : a drug used to treat malaria | There are a wide range of different drugs on the market.

dosage 名词 [可数名词,通常单数] the amount of medicine that you should take at one time : The dosage should be reduced to 0.5 mg. | It’s important to get the dosage right.

medication 名词 [可数和不可数名词] medicine or drugs given to someone who is ill : He takes medication for his diabetes. | She’s on medication (= taking medication ) , having suffered from depression for a number of years.