medicate
verb
med·i·cate ˈme-di-ˌkāt 
medicated; medicating
transitive verb
1
: to treat (someone or something) with or as if with medicine
medicate a condition
was medicated for pain/depression
… is happily living his life one day at a time since he stopped drinking and otherwise medicating himself …
Charles Leerhsen
Charles Leerhsen2
: to impregnate with a medicinal substance
medicated soap
Example Sentences
The patient had been heavily medicated.
Recent Examples on the Web During that time, the doctors told Hogenesch, the children often developed hypertension that was difficult to medicate. New York Times, 6 July 2022 In the midst of the darkness that blanketed Hollywood with the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, laughter — as usual — felt like the most potent way to medicate anger and frustration. Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2022 The young mom might be using her spending to try to self-medicate her sadness away; unfortunately, this will make things worse for her. Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 13 May 2022 The young mom might be using her spending to try to self-medicate her sadness away; unfortunately, this will make things worse for her. Amy Dickinson, oregonlive, 13 May 2022 In the 1990s, Hunter Hoffman, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Washington, began to use V.R. to provide relief to burn patients who were having their dressings changed — an excruciating ordeal that is difficult to medicate. New York Times, 26 Apr. 2022 One is that the animals were attempting to medicate themselves. Maddie Bender, Wired, 8 Mar. 2022 Psychiatrists and psychologists talk to us, shock us and above all, medicate us to lift us from our funks. John Horgan, Scientific American, 22 Dec. 2021 In Uganda the health ministry was compelled to issue a public statement warning the public against using the plant to medicate the effects of the virus. Stephen Kafeero, Quartz, 2 July 2021 See More
New York Times, 6 July 2022 In the midst of the darkness that blanketed Hollywood with the overturning of Roe vs. Wade, laughter — as usual — felt like the most potent way to medicate anger and frustration. Los Angeles Times, 27 June 2022 The young mom might be using her spending to try to self-medicate her sadness away; unfortunately, this will make things worse for her. Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 13 May 2022 The young mom might be using her spending to try to self-medicate her sadness away; unfortunately, this will make things worse for her. Amy Dickinson, oregonlive, 13 May 2022 In the 1990s, Hunter Hoffman, a cognitive psychologist at the University of Washington, began to use V.R. to provide relief to burn patients who were having their dressings changed — an excruciating ordeal that is difficult to medicate. New York Times, 26 Apr. 2022 One is that the animals were attempting to medicate themselves. Maddie Bender, Wired, 8 Mar. 2022 Psychiatrists and psychologists talk to us, shock us and above all, medicate us to lift us from our funks. John Horgan, Scientific American, 22 Dec. 2021 In Uganda the health ministry was compelled to issue a public statement warning the public against using the plant to medicate the effects of the virus. Stephen Kafeero, Quartz, 2 July 2021 See More Word History
Etymology
Latin medicatus, past participle of medicare to heal, from medicus
First Known Use
circa 1623, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Phrases Containing medicate
Kids Definition
medicate
verb
med·i·cate ˈme-də-ˌkāt
medicated; medicating
1
: to treat with medicine
You should medicate your sore throat.
2
: to add medicinal material to
medicated soap
Medical Definition
medicate
transitive verb
med·i·cate ˈmed-ə-ˌkāt
medicated; medicating
1
: to treat medicinally
2
: to impregnate with a medicinal substance
medicated soap
medicates
verb
as in treats
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- treats
- doctors
- attends
- binds
- bandages
- nurses
- cures
- heals
- rehabilitates
- remedies
- ministers (to)
- dresses
- swathes
- mends
- cares (for)
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- unbandages