Definition

1. Verb:
   • To take an excessive and dangerous amount of a drug, especially a narcotic: "o.d." is an informal abbreviation for "overdose," meaning to take a drug in a quantity that causes serious adverse effects, which can include loss of consciousness or death.

Usage

• The verb "o.d." is intransitive and is typically used in informal or journalistic contexts. It describes the act itself, not the administration of a drug to someone else.
• It is often followed by the preposition "on" to specify the substance involved.

Examples

• Verb:
  • He was afraid his friend would o.d. on the powerful new synthetic drug.
  • The singer tragically o.d.'d last night after a concert.
  • Many of these street drugs are so potent that it's easy to o.d.

Advanced Usage

• "to o.d. on something": This is the standard construction to indicate the specific substance that caused the overdose.
  • She nearly o.d.'d on a combination of prescription pills.
• The past tense and past participle are commonly formed as "o.d.'d" or "o.d.ed".

Variants and Related Words

• Overdose (verb/noun): The full, formal term. As a noun, it refers to the excessive dose itself or the event of taking it.
  • Verb: He overdosed on heroin.
  • Noun: She was treated for a drug overdose.
• OD: An alternative, equally informal spelling of the abbreviation.

Synonyms

• Overdose: The direct, formal synonym.
• Succumb to an overdose: A more descriptive phrase.

Notes

• "O.d." is highly specific to the context of drug abuse and poisoning. It is not used for taking too much of something benign (like food or television); for those contexts, "overindulge" or "overdo it" would be used.
• The term carries serious connotations of medical emergency, addiction, and often tragedy.

Verb

1. dose too heavily
   • The rock star overdosed and was found dead in his hotel room