medication
meh-dih-KAY-shuhn
Medication (noun) means a drug or medicine used to treat an illness. Example: “Remember to take your medication with food to avoid an upset stomach.”
noun
1
A drug or medicine used to treat an illness.
"Remember to take your medication with food to avoid an upset stomach."
"She takes medication for her thyroid condition every morning."
"The doctor adjusted his medication after the side effects appeared."
How to use medication
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe medicine itself, or the act of giving medicine to treat a health problem.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
take medication
prescribe medication
medication dosage
Vocabulary Flow
Build your vocabulary from words like medication.
Vocabulary Flow serves the next word, and the next — meaning, pronunciation and an example each time. Practice at your level, or learn English in your own language.
Start vocabulary practice
Word forms
- Plural
- medications
Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
Remember to take your _____ with food to avoid an upset stomach.
Etymology
From Latin medicātiō, from medicārī ("to heal, cure"), from medicus ("physician").
Related words
Rhymes for medication
region
ablation
allusion
emulsion
ideation
novation
diffusion
elocution
extension
oxidation
perfusion
selection
See all rhymes for medication →
Frequently asked questions
What does “medication” mean?
The word “medication” means a drug or medicine used to treat an illness. In plain terms, the medicine itself, or the act of giving medicine to treat a health problem.
How do you pronounce “medication”?
“Medication” is pronounced meh-dih-KAY-shuhn (/mɛdɪˈkeɪʃən/ in IPA).
How do you use “medication” in a sentence?
Here is “medication” used in a sentence: “She takes medication for her thyroid condition every morning.”
What part of speech is “medication”?
“Medication” is a noun.
Where does the word “medication” come from?
The word “medication” comes from Latin. From Latin medicātiō, from medicārī ("to heal, cure"), from medicus ("physician").
Is “medication” a common word?
“Medication” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the B2 level.
What is the difference between medication and medicine?
The words overlap, but "medicine" can mean both the substance used to treat illness and the science of healing, while "medication" refers specifically to a drug or medicine used to treat an illness. For the substance itself, the two are often interchangeable in everyday use.
What is the difference between medication and a drug?
All medications are drugs, but "drug" is broader and can also refer to recreational or illegal substances. "Medication" specifically means a drug or medicine used to treat an illness, giving it a clearly medical sense.
What words commonly go with "medication"?
"Medication" often appears in phrases such as take medication, prescribe medication, be on medication, and the side effects of medication. These collocations all relate to using drugs to treat illness.
Featured in
Vocabulary lists that include medication:
