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
Jeremy’s drug test came back negative, but Jessica’s came back positive for methamphetamine, according to police.
—Sean Neumann, People.com, 21 July 2025
And then there was Pep Guardiola, now Manchester City manager, who failed two drug tests when a midfielder with Brescia in 2001.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 20 June 2025
As a result of that drug test failure, the title reverted to Cormier.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
For some police officers who have tried CBD, positive drug tests that followed have affected careers across the country, including in Georgia and New Jersey, according to media reports.
—Virginia Bridges, Charlotte Observer, 9 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for drug test
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Sean Neumann, People.com, 21 July 2025
And then there was Pep Guardiola, now Manchester City manager, who failed two drug tests when a midfielder with Brescia in 2001.
—Philip Buckingham, New York Times, 20 June 2025
As a result of that drug test failure, the title reverted to Cormier.
—Trent Reinsmith, Forbes.com, 13 June 2025
For some police officers who have tried CBD, positive drug tests that followed have affected careers across the country, including in Georgia and New Jersey, according to media reports.
—Virginia Bridges, Charlotte Observer, 9 June 2025
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 7 Aug. 2025.
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
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