inebriate

1 of 3

noun

in·ebri·ate i-ˈnē-brē-ət

: one who is drunk

especially : drunkard

inebriate

2 of 3

verb

in·ebri·ate i-ˈnē-brē-ˌāt

inebriated; inebriating

transitive verb

: to make drunk : intoxicate

: to exhilarate or stupefy as if by liquor

inebriation

i-ˌnē-brē-ˈā-shən

noun

inebriate

3 of 3

adjective

in·ebri·ate i-ˈnē-brē-ət

-ˌāt

: affected by alcohol : drunk

: addicted to excessive drinking

Example Sentences

Noun having performed in countless bars and clubs, the stand-up comedian was used to being heckled by inebriates in the back of the house Adjective those inebriate sports fans who yell and scream throughout the game

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

One of American drama's most intriguing case studies, Hickey is the hardware salesman who returns to his old tawdry haunt not on one of his periodic benders but on a mission to reform the resident inebriates of their belief in a better tomorrow.

Charles Mcnulty, latimes.com, 10 May 2018 The group proposed extending the winter shelter through May, boosting treatment for serial inebriates and reporting all homeless incidents and issues to a single coordinator.

Jeff Mcdonald, sandiegouniontribune.com, 1 Oct. 2017

Verb

Ben Affleck, who has long been open about his fight against addiction, appeared to be publicly inebriated recently.

Liz Mcneil, PEOPLE.com, 27 Oct. 2019 At the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Maradona launched his middle fingers into the air after Argentina bested Nigeria and was captured on video appearing seriously inebriated in the stands.

Carlos Rodriguez And Amy Guthrie, Fox News, 10 Sep. 2018 Yet the manufacturers are inebriated with power over Congress.

Ralph Nader, WSJ, 22 Aug. 2018 According to court documents, Hirsch, who was allegedly inebriated at the time, grabbed Paramount executive Dani Bernfeld, pulled her across a table and onto the floor, and proceeded to choke her.

Rebecca Farley, refinery29.com, 8 June 2018 United Airlines has apologized after receiving complaints that one of their flight attendants appeared to be inebriated during a flight on Thursday.

Maria Pasquini, PEOPLE.com, 4 May 2018 Good-size portions!) Cocktails are the opposite of those at LoLa 42: swiftly inebriating, composed largely of booze.

Devra First, BostonGlobe.com, 12 Mar. 2018 Security camera footage documented how Piazza became visibly inebriated early in the evening, after which fraternity members made ineffective and even counterproductive efforts to help him.

Washington Post, 15 Dec. 2017

Adjective

Segovia was booked into the inebriate center detention facility at the Dallas City Marshal's office on Chestnut Street.

Maria Elena Vizcaino, Dallas News, 8 July 2019 His slightly inebriate charm has become a consistent moviegoing pleasure.

Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 12 June 2019 See More

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'inebriate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.