Meanings
plural street drugs
- slangA drug used illegally and recreationally for its euphoric and other mind-altering effects, such as opiates, cannabinoids, benzodiazepines, amphetamines and others.
Street drug sales are a huge problem for law enforcement since they are a magnet for gun violence and drug users.
Synonyms & antonyms
nouna drug that is taken for nonmedicinal reasons (usually for mind-altering effects); drug abuse can lead to physical and mental damage and (with some substances) dependence and addiction
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
This term comes from the fact that these types of substances are normally sold on the street by drug dealers.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
street drug. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/street%20drug
“street drug.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/street%20drug. Accessed November 5, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “street drug,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/street%20drug.
Source: street drug on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.