There are a lot of slang words used to indicate that someone is drunk or in the process of getting drunk. If you're looking for an informal way to convey that someone is not sober due to alcohol consumption, consider one of these words or phrases that represent slang for drunk.
Slang for Getting Drunk
There are quite a few funny phrases for the act of getting drunk. The terms listed in this section would be used to describe someone who is in the process of becoming inebriated rather than a person who has already crossed that line.
- bar hopping
- bending an elbow
- boozing
- catching a buzz
- day drinking
- drinking like a fish
- drinking my (his, her, their) cares away
- getting crunk
- getting some Dutch courage
- getting some liquid courage
- getting plastered
- getting s***faced
- getting smashed
- getting tipsy
- gfu (get f***ed up)
- going on a bender
- going on the lash
- going to paint the town red
- hanging one on
- having a liquid lunch
- having some cocktails
- heading to tipsy town
- raising a glass
- tying one on
- wetting my (your) whistle
Slang Words for Being Drunk
When someone is already drunk, the terminology changes slightly. There are quite a few funny words for drunk. The words below are commonly used in America, and other places where English is spoken, to describe the state of being intoxicated.
- annihilated
- blasted
- blitzed
- bombed
- buzzed
- canned
- hammered
- lit
- loaded
- lubricated
- pickled
- plastered
- s***faced
- skunked
- sloshed
- smashed
- snookered
- sozzled
- steamed
- tanked-up
- tipsy
- trashed
- wasted
- well-oiled
- zonked
UK Slang for Drunk
There are a few words for drunk that tend to be used most in the U.K. (England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland) and Ireland rather than in America.
- blethered
- cabbaged
- half-cut
- dizzy
- fuddled
- gee-eyed
- gone
- legless
- mashed
- pished
- pissed
- sauced
- sloppy
- souced
- sozzled
- stocious
- tit-faced
- trollied
- trousered
- twisted
- woozy
- rat-arsed
- twisted
- wankered
- wrecked
2-Word Slang Phrases for Being Drunk
Not all slang for drunk is limited to a single word. The two-word phrases below are good options for describing someone who is already inebriated.
- blind drunk
- clocked out
- cross-eyed drunk
- dead drunk
- f***ed up
- howling drunk
- juiced up
- lap legged
- messed up
- punch drunk
- rolling drunk
- screaming drunk
- screwed up
- stale drunk
- stinking drunk
- toddy stricken
- tore up
3+ Word Slang Phrases for Being Drunk
Sometimes even a two-word phrase isn't sufficient. Check out these longer expressions used to convey that someone is intoxicated.
- dancing on the tables
- drunk and disorderly
- drunk as a skunk
- falling down drunk
- half in the bag
- high on the juice of the grape
- in the bag
- lagered up
- life of the party
- lit up like a kite
- lit up like a Christmas tree
- off her tits
- off your (his, her, their) head
- off your (his, her, their) trolley
- on the sauce
- out of her (his, their, your) mind drunk
- out of it
- out of your (his, her, their) tree
- over the limit
- piss a** drunk
- three sheets to the wind
- tied one on
- tore up from the floor up
- wearing the wobbly boots
- wearing your beer goggles
Historical Terms for Drunkenness
If you're looking for some less familiar — but still accurate — terms to describe drunkenness, look way back in history. The vintage words and phrases below have been around since long before the current century.
- blotto
- bousy
- cock-eyed
- couldn't navigate
- cup-shotten
- drunk as a lord
- feeling his oats
- fixed all right
- fox-drunk
- fuddled
- had a cup too much
- has a bun on
- has a shine on
- in drink
- in his cups
- jug-bitten
- pie-eyed
- sack sopped
- tap-shackled
- temulent
- tippled
- topheavy
- up in the air
Slang Terms for People Who Overindulge in Drink
There are also some interesting slang terms for people who drink too much, whether it occurs on occasion on quite regularly.
- a drunk
- alike
- bad drunk
- boozer
- boozehound
- can drink (me, you, him, her, them, us) under the table
- can't hold his (her, their, your, my) liquor
- carouser
- dipso
- dipsomaniac
- drunkard
- fun drunk
- hard drinker
- heavy drinker
- lounge lizard
- lush
- mean drunk
- on a liquid diet
- sloppy drunk
- sot
- sponge
- ugly drunk
- wino
Slang for the After-Effects of Getting Drunk
First comes the fun of getting drunk, the state of being intoxicated, then the inevitable hangover. There are quite a few slang terms used to describe the hangover that most people experience after getting drunk.
- beer flu
- brown (or green) bottle flu
- commode hugging drunk
- dawn damage
- indisposed due to overindulgence
- in need of the hair of the dog that bit me
- ridden hard and put up wet
- riding the porcelain bus (or train)
- whiskey flu
- wine flu
- worshipping at the porcelain altar
Slang for Alcoholic Drinks
In order to get drunk, people have to drink alcohol. Discover some slang terms for liquor, a substance without which people wouldn't be able to get drunk.
- adult beverages - any drinks with alcohol
- amber nectar - beer
- booze - any drinks with alcohol; usually hard liquor
- brew - beer
- brewsky - beer
- bubbly - champagne
- draft - beer from a keg
- hard stuff - hard liquor
- juice - wine
- jungle juice - wine
- mommy's juice - wine
- rotgut - cheap, poor quality liquor
- stiff drink - mixed drink with a lot of hard liquor
- toddy - hot alcoholic beverage
Get to Know Slang Terminology
Slang for getting drunk is only the beginning of slang terminology. There are many examples of slang words from the past and today. To learn more, start by exploring how slang affects the English language. Next, consider the history of American slang words. From there expand your slang vocabulary by reviewing some examples of British slang words. Soon you'll be an expert in informal terminology that's commonly used.