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 Braves will be without Jurickson Profar for 80 games after the slugger failed a drug test for PEDs.
—David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
Sinner’s ban was the result of a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February over his two positive drug tests at Indian Wells on March 10 last year and then out of competition eight days later.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
My initial reaction - everyone report to HR for a mandatory drug test.
—Jeremy Rutherford, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
The settlement is an intriguing outcome that tests the logic of WADA’s strict liability rule and accompanying punishment scheme for drug tests.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for drug test
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David Faris, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Apr. 2025
Sinner’s ban was the result of a settlement with the World Anti-Doping Agency in February over his two positive drug tests at Indian Wells on March 10 last year and then out of competition eight days later.
—Tim Ellis, Forbes.com, 3 Apr. 2025
My initial reaction - everyone report to HR for a mandatory drug test.
—Jeremy Rutherford, The Athletic, 25 Feb. 2025
The settlement is an intriguing outcome that tests the logic of WADA’s strict liability rule and accompanying punishment scheme for drug tests.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 15 Feb. 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 20 Apr. 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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