Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • transitive verb To cause to be physiologically or psychologically dependent.
  • transitive verb To occupy (oneself) with or involve (oneself) in something habitually.
  • transitive verb To cause to use something on a regular or dependent basis.
  • noun One who is addicted, as to narcotics or gambling.
  • noun A devoted adherent; a fan.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • To devote or give up, as to a habit or occupation; apply habitually or sedulously, as to a practice or habit: used reflexively: as, to addict one's self to the exercise of charity; he is addicted (addicts himself) to meditation, pleasure, or intemperance.
  • To give over or surrender; devote, attach, or assign; yield up, as to the service, use, or control of: used both of persons and of things.
  • Specifically In Roman law, to deliver over formally by the sentence of a judge, as a debtor to the service of his creditor.
  • Addicted.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • transitive verb To apply habitually; to devote; to habituate; -- with to.
  • transitive verb obsolete To adapt; to make suitable; to fit.
  • past participle obsolete Addicted; devoted.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun A person who is addicted, especially to a harmful drug
  • noun An adherent or fan (of something)
  • verb To cause someone to become addicted, especially to a harmful drug
  • verb To involve oneself in something habitually, to the exclusion of almost anything else.
  • verb obsolete To adapt; to make suitable; to fit.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • verb to cause (someone or oneself) to become dependent (on something, especially a narcotic drug)
  • noun someone who is physiologically dependent on a substance; abrupt deprivation of the substance produces withdrawal symptoms
  • noun someone who is so ardently devoted to something that it resembles an addiction

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[Latin addīcere, addict-, to sentence : ad-, ad- + dīcere, to adjudge; see deik- in Indo-European roots.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

From Latin addictus, past participle of addīcō ("deliver; devote; surrender"), from ad- ("to, towards, at") + dīcō ("say; declare")

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Examples

Comments

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  • "Addicted to Oil" Argh! Quick - find a 12 Step Meeting!!

    June 29, 2008

  • House was this to Vicodin.

    June 13, 2012