drunk
gb/dɹˈʌŋk/ us/dɹˈʌŋk/
A2
English
~ 6000
Senses
0 senses
adjective
A2
property
1
Intoxicated after drinking alcohol
Not able to think or walk normally because you drank a lot of alcohol.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is/gets drunk
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes say *"I am drink"* instead of *"I am drunk"* to describe their state after alcohol. Use *"drunk"* (adjective) for the condition, and *"drink"* as the verb for the action (e.g., *"I drank too much"* or *"I have drunk too much"*).
Synonyms
intoxicated (More formal and technical; often used in official or medical contexts.)
|
wasted (Very informal slang; often suggests being extremely drunk.)
|
tipsy (Suggests only slightly drunk, not as strong as 'drunk'.)
Antonyms
sober (Describes someone who has not drunk alcohol, or is no longer affected by it.)
Collocations
get drunk
|too drunk
|blind drunk
|stinking drunk
|drunk driving
|falling-down drunk
Themes
health
|daily life
|social
|law
|daily_life
Examples
- He was so drunk that he could barely stand up.
- You shouldn’t post on social media when you’re drunk.
- By midnight, half the guests at the party were drunk.
- She got drunk on cheap wine and started singing loudly in the street.
- They refused to serve him because he was already clearly drunk.
Learner examples
- I was very drunk after the party.
- He is too drunk to drive.
- She got drunk and went to bed.
- They were drunk and very loud.
- Please do not come to work drunk.
Noun
informal
B1
entity
2
Person who often drinks too much
A person who drinks a lot of alcohol very often, usually in a bad or unhealthy way.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is a drunk
Common mistake:
Learners may use *"drunk"* (noun) too generally, sounding rude. In many situations, *"He has a drinking problem"* or *"He is an alcoholic"* is more natural and less insulting than *"He is a drunk"*.
Synonyms
alcoholic (More clinical; can sound less judgmental and is often used in medical or support contexts.)
|
drunkard (Somewhat old-fashioned and formal; sounds more literary or moralistic.)
Antonyms
teetotaler (Refers to someone who never drinks alcohol at all.)
Collocations
a hopeless drunk
|a falling-down drunk
|a street drunk
|town drunk
|recovering drunk
|mean drunk
Themes
health
|social
|relationships
|daily_life
Examples
- He used to be a hopeless drunk, but he’s been sober for three years now.
- The neighbors complain that the local drunk shouts outside their window every night.
- She didn’t want to end up a lonely drunk like her father.
- He can be a funny drunk, but sometimes he turns into a mean drunk.
- The film shows his slow change from a social drinker into a full-blown drunk.
Learner examples
- His uncle is a drunk and does not work.
- She does not want to marry a drunk.
- The drunk slept on the bench all night.
- He used to be a drunk, but now he does not drink.
- People called him a drunk, and it hurt him.
Verb
B1
action
3
Past participle of "drink"
"Drunk" is the past participle of "drink". Use it with "have/has/had" to say that someone has finished drinking something.
Usage pattern:
[someone] has/had drunk [something]
Common mistake:
Many learners say *"I have drank"* instead of *"I have drunk"*. Use *"drank"* for the simple past (*"Yesterday I drank tea"*) and *"drunk"* as the past participle with *have/has/had* (*"I have drunk tea"*).
Synonyms
consumed (More formal and general; does not specifically imply drinking and can also refer to eating or using up.)
Antonyms
spat out (Describes rejecting liquid from the mouth instead of swallowing it.)
Collocations
have drunk enough
|had drunk too much
|have drunk three beers
|have drunk all the water
|never drunk alcohol
Themes
grammar
|daily life
|food
|education
|communication
Examples
- By noon she had already drunk three cups of coffee.
- He has never drunk alcohol in his life.
- They realized they had drunk all the water before the end of the hike.
- I had drunk too much soda and felt sick.
- We have drunk from that spring many times without any problems.
Learner examples
- I have drunk two glasses of milk today.
- She has never drunk beer.
- He was tired because he had not drunk enough water.
- They had drunk all the juice before dinner.
- We have drunk too much coffee this week.
adjective
literary
C1
property
4
Overwhelmed by emotion or power
So full of a feeling or power that you cannot think clearly or normally.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is drunk with/on [emotion/quality]
Common mistake:
Learners may think this always refers to alcohol. In phrases like *"drunk with power"* or *"drunk on success"*, it is figurative and describes being so full of a feeling that you act as if you were drunk.
Synonyms
overwhelmed (Broader and more neutral; does not carry the specific alcohol metaphor.)
|
intoxicated (Often used figuratively in the same way, especially in formal or literary writing.)
Antonyms
clear-headed (Emphasizes calm, rational thinking unaffected by intense emotion or power.)
Collocations
drunk with power
|drunk on power
|drunk with love
|drunk on success
|drunk with joy
|drunk on freedom
Themes
emotions
|literature
|power
Examples
- New to fame, he became drunk with power and stopped listening to advice.
- They were drunk on victory and believed nothing could stop them.
- She stood on the hill, drunk with freedom after leaving her old life behind.
- The crowd, drunk with excitement, cheered long into the night.
- He was drunk on love and ignored all the warning signs.
Learner examples
- He is drunk with power and does not listen to anyone.
- They were drunk on success and felt they could do anything.
- She was drunk with joy when she heard the news.
- The fans were drunk on happiness after the big win.
- The leader became drunk with control over his team.
Grammar
Dictionary form
drunk
IPA
GB/dɹˈʌŋk/
US/dɹˈʌŋk/
Syllables & stress
drunk (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (drunk)
Word forms
Adjective
- Base: drunk
- Comparative: drunker
- Superlative: drunkest
Noun
- Base: drunk
- Plural: drunks
Word family
Forms
drunks
noun
drunker
adjective
drunkest
adjective
Core family
drink
verb A1
drinker
noun
Negative and opposite forms
Advanced or less common
drunkenness
noun B2
drunkenly
adverb
Expressions
blind drunk
1/blˈaɪnd dɹˈʌŋk/
idiom
informal
Extremely drunk
Very, very drunk.
Examples
- By the end of the night he was blind drunk.
- She got blind drunk at the party and had to be carried home.
- They were blind drunk and couldn’t even find the door.
drive drunk
1/dɹˈaɪv dɹˈʌŋk/
fixed phrase
informal
Operate a vehicle while drunk
To drive a car or other vehicle after drinking too much alcohol.
Examples
- Never drive drunk, even if you think you feel fine.
- She was arrested because she drove drunk and caused an accident.
- His brother swore he would never drive drunk again.
drunk and disorderly
1/dɹˈʌŋk ˈænd dɪsˈɔɹdɚli/
fixed phrase
Publicly drunk and causing trouble
A legal phrase for being drunk in a public place and behaving in a noisy or dangerous way.
Examples
- He was arrested for being drunk and disorderly outside the bar.
- The police warned that drunk and disorderly behavior would not be tolerated.
- She spent the night in jail on a drunk and disorderly charge.
drunk as a skunk
1/dɹˈʌŋk ˈæz ə skˈʌŋk/
idiom
informal
Extremely drunk (humorous)
Very drunk, said in a funny or playful way.
Examples
- He came back from the bar drunk as a skunk.
- They were drunk as skunks and laughing at everything.
- She got drunk as a skunk at her birthday party.
drunk dial
1/dɹˈʌŋk dˈaɪl/
idiom
informal
Call someone while drunk
To call someone on the phone when you are drunk, often saying things you would not say when sober.
Examples
- Don’t drunk dial your ex; you’ll regret it tomorrow.
- He woke up and realized he had drunk dialed his boss.
- She laughed about the time she drunk dialed her favorite singer’s fan line.
drunk driving
1/dɹˈʌŋk dɹˈaɪvɪŋ/
fixed phrase
Driving a vehicle while drunk
The crime of driving a car or other vehicle after drinking too much alcohol.
Examples
- He lost his license because of drunk driving.
- The government is running a campaign against drunk driving.
- Drunk driving accidents increase during the holidays.
drunk tank
1/dɹˈʌŋk tˈæŋk/
idiom
informal
Jail cell for drunk people
A special room or jail cell where very drunk people are kept until they are sober.
Examples
- He spent the night in the drunk tank after the festival.
- The police took the loud tourists to the drunk tank.
- They joked that he had his own bed in the drunk tank.
drunk text
1/dɹˈʌŋk tˈɛkst/
fixed phrase
informal
Text message sent while drunk
A text message that someone sends when they are drunk.
Examples
- She woke up embarrassed after reading the drunk texts she had sent him.
- Never reply to a drunk text; wait until the morning.
- He apologized for the drunk text and asked her to ignore it.
falling-down drunk
1/fˈɔlɪŋ dˈaʊn dɹˈʌŋk/
idiom
informal
So drunk you can’t stand
So drunk that you can hardly stand or walk without falling.
Examples
- He came home falling-down drunk at three in the morning.
- She was falling-down drunk and needed help to get into a taxi.
- They watched the falling-down drunk man stumble along the sidewalk.
get drunk
1/ɡˈɛt dɹˈʌŋk/
fixed phrase
informal
Become intoxicated with alcohol
To drink enough alcohol to become drunk.
Examples
- We didn’t plan to get drunk; it just happened.
- He gets drunk every Friday night after work.
- They got drunk on cheap wine at the festival.
stinking drunk
1/stˈɪŋkɪŋ dɹˈʌŋk/
idiom
informal
Very heavily drunk
Extremely drunk.
Examples
- He showed up stinking drunk to the family dinner.
- They were stinking drunk by midnight and singing loudly in the street.
- She didn’t want to get stinking drunk in front of her coworkers.