drug test
noun
plural drug tests
1
: a test that examines a bodily specimen (as of urine, saliva, blood, or hair) for the presence of one or more usually illegal or banned substances (such as cocaine, methamphetamine, alcohol, or anabolic steroids)
a positive drug test
He was brandishing a shot-gun, and a drug test after his arrest revealed traces of PCP.—
Alan Light
Alan LightWhen an athlete has been using EPO and faces a drug test, a standard way of passing it is to dilute his blood with a saline solution.—Samuel Abt
Samuel Abt… the one-year suspension California horse-racing officials gave him for a positive drug test on one of his horses while he was college student and part-time trainer.—Joe Drape
Joe Drape2
: a study and especially a clinical trial for testing a therapeutic agent
The drug tests are blinded so that participating patients and doctors … don't know who is receiving the drug and who is receiving a placebo.—Rhonda L. Rundle
Rhonda L. Rundle
drug test
transitive verb
drug tested; drug testing; drug tests
… some in the community may be wondering if elected officials or county employees can be randomly drug tested.
—Brittany Stovall
Brittany Stovall
drug testing
noun
plural drug testings
… after months of chemical analysis the lab found an anabolic steroid … which had been cleverly engineered to evade standard drug testing.
—Malcolm Gladwell
Malcolm Gladwell
We have to get medals and go to the interview room and into drug testing right after we swim.
—Matt Biondi
Matt Biondi
She was court ordered to attend meetings, classes and to submit to random drug testings.
—Jaclyn OMalley
Jaclyn OMalley
drug-testing labs
Examples of drug test in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The United States finished second, but was awarded the gold after Russian skater Kamila Valieva was disqualified because of a positive drug test from a sample submitted two months before the Games.
—Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
In 2018, Russian athletes who passed drug tests competed in PyeongChang, South Korea, as the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
The drastic decision to consume bleach to try to circumvent a drug test nearly cut Mathieu's life short.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
After initially qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, she was later disqualified after testing positive for THC during a post-race drug test.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drug test
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Los Angeles Times, 4 Feb. 2026
In 2018, Russian athletes who passed drug tests competed in PyeongChang, South Korea, as the Olympic Athletes from Russia.
—Rebecca Cohen, NBC news, 3 Feb. 2026
The drastic decision to consume bleach to try to circumvent a drug test nearly cut Mathieu's life short.
—Chantz Martin, FOXNews.com, 31 Jan. 2026
After initially qualifying for the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, she was later disqualified after testing positive for THC during a post-race drug test.
—David Matthews, New York Daily News, 30 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for drug test
Cite this Entry
“Drug test.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drug%20test. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
drug test
noun1
: a test that examines a bodily specimen (as of urine, saliva, blood, or hair) for the presence of one or more usually illegal or banned substances (such as cocaine, methamphetamine, alcohol, or anabolic steroids)
a positive drug test
According to the Denver laboratory that performed the drug tests, his urine sample after last Wednesday's race showed the presence of "a drug of the phenylethylamine class."—The New York Times
The New York Times2
: a study and especially a clinical trial for testing a therapeutic agent
Because patients sometimes get better or worse on their own, drug tests also need a control group to compare the new drug with standard treatment or a placebo.—Marilyn Chase, The Wall Street Journal
Marilyn Chase, The Wall Street Journal
drug test
transitive verb
drug testing
noun
random drug testing
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
