ENGLISH
REFERENCE

DEA

n. countable
C1 Advanced US //ˈdi// dea

n. Stands for Drug Enforcement Administration. A government group in the United States that stops people from making or selling illegal drugs.

n. Abbreviation for Drug Enforcement Administration. The federal law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice tasked with suppressing the sale and distribution of narcotics. When used as a proper name, it is almost always preceded by the definite article.


SIMPLE

The DEA agents arrested the drug smugglers at the border.

CONTEXTUAL

After months of undercover work, the DEA successfully dismantled the international trafficking ring operating out of the city's main port.

COMPLEX

The DEA coordinates with international law enforcement agencies to disrupt the global supply chains of synthetic opioids and other controlled substances.

Usage

Usually functions as a proper noun and takes the definite article 'the'. While it is a countable noun referring to the agency, it is rarely used in the plural.

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