1
: drunk sense 1
a drunken driver
2
obsolete
: saturated with liquid
3
a
: given to habitual excessive use of alcohol
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by intoxication
… they come from … broken homes, drunken homes …—
P. B. Gilliam
P. B. Gilliam
c
: resulting from or as if from intoxication
a drunken brawl
4
: unsteady or lurching as if from alcoholic intoxication
drunkenly
adverb
Examples of drunken in a Sentence
The streets were filled with drunken revelers on New Year's Eve.
He lives in an apartment with his drunken mother.
He fell into a drunken stupor.
A drunken brawl broke out at the bar.
Recent Examples on the Web
The cinematographer Joachim Philippe keeps his camera close to Annie’s face and captures, as if from her point of view, the drunken partying and canoodling that seems to happen every evening.
—Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 17 May 2026
The fiery collision was one of America’s deadliest drunken driving crashes on record.
—Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
Sacramento police have scheduled a drunken driving checkpoint Friday night somewhere in the city, officers said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
The 2025 jury deliberated for more than 20 hours before ultimately acquitting the former Bentley College lecturer and equity researcher at Fidelity Investments on all charges save for drunken driving.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for drunken
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.
Beatrice Loayza, Variety, 17 May 2026
The fiery collision was one of America’s deadliest drunken driving crashes on record.
—Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026
Sacramento police have scheduled a drunken driving checkpoint Friday night somewhere in the city, officers said.
—Don Sweeney, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
The 2025 jury deliberated for more than 20 hours before ultimately acquitting the former Bentley College lecturer and equity researcher at Fidelity Investments on all charges save for drunken driving.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 14 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for drunken
Cite this Entry
“Drunken.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/drunken. Accessed 21 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
drunken
adjective
drunk·en
ˈdrəŋ-kən 
1
b
: having a habit of drinking too much alcohol
2
a
: resulting from being drunk
a drunken brawl
drunkenly
adverb
Medical Definition
drunken
adjective
drunk·en
ˈdrəŋ-kən
1
: drunk sense 1
a drunken driver
2
a
: given to habitual excessive use of alcohol
b
: of, relating to, or characterized by intoxication
drunken parties
c
: resulting from or as if from intoxication
a drunken stupor
drunkenly
adverb
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
