drunk
- 01 A2 Elementary
adj.having had too much alcohol, making it hard to think, speak, or walk clearly.
adj.intoxicated by alcohol to the point of impaired physical and mental control.
Simple“He was too drunk to drive, so he took a taxi home instead.”
In context“The witness testified that the defendant appeared visibly drunk, citing his slurred speech and inability to maintain his balance during the encounter.”
PitfallHe was very drink last night. He was very drunk last night.Use 'drunk' as the adjective to describe the person's state, not the verb 'drink'.
SynonymsAntonyms - 02 A2 Elementary
v.the form of 'drink' used after 'have', 'has', or 'had'.
v.the past participle of the irregular verb 'drink'.
Simple“I have already drunk three cups of coffee this morning.”
In context“By the time the sun reached its zenith, the hikers had drunk nearly all of their remaining water supplies.”
PitfallI have drank all the water. I have drunk all the water.In standard English, 'drank' is the simple past, while 'drunk' is the past participle used with 'have'.
- 03 B1 Intermediate
n.a person who is currently very intoxicated or someone who drinks too much alcohol regularly.
n.a person who is intoxicated or a habitual drinker. Often carries a derogatory or informal tone depending on context.
Simple“The police had to remove a loud drunk from the train station.”
In context“The novelist often depicted the local drunk as a tragic figure, a man whose potential had been washed away by decades of addiction.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
adj.feeling very excited or powerful because of a strong emotion like success or love.
adj.metaphorically intoxicated or emboldened by a powerful emotion or abstract concept.
Simple“The young soldiers were drunk with the excitement of their first victory.”
In context“Drunk with power, the dictator began to ignore the advice of his closest generals, leading the nation toward an avoidable conflict.”
Synonyms
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.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.