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overdose

Transitive VerbIntransitive Verb[C/U] Both
pl: overdosespast: overdosedpp: overdoseding: overdosingcomp: nullsup: null

This term carries a heavy clinical and tragic weight, often associated with emergency medicine, addiction, and crisis. It describes a state of toxic overload where the body can no longer process a substance, leading to systemic failure. While it is a medical term, it is used frequently in news reports and legal documents to describe fatal events. In casual or hyperbolic speech, people sometimes use it to describe an excess of something non-medicinal, such as an information overdose. However, this usage is rare and usually ironic, as the primary connotation remains one of physical danger, unconsciousness, or death.

Countable when referring to a specific medical event or instance of poisoning. Uncountable when discussing the general phenomenon of drug toxicity.

Meanings

Transitive Verb
[someone][something]

To take too much of a drug or medication.

"He accidentally overdosed on his prescription pills."

Intransitive Verb
[someone]

To take a lethal or harmful amount of a substance.

"The patient overdosed overnight."

Noun
[something]

An excessive and dangerous dose of a drug.

"The emergency room treated a heroin overdose."

Last Updated: May 27, 2026Report an Error