prescription
prescription — noun
1. an official slip of paper, or a digital record, where a doctor lists the exact m
an official slip of paper, or a digital record, where a doctor lists the exact medicine or treatment a patient should be given, so a pharmacist can supply it.
Dr. Tanaka wrote Maya a prescription for antibiotics after checking her sore throat.
write someone a prescription for [medicine]
Carlos took the prescription to the pharmacy on the corner of Main Street.
Most clinics in Taipei now send the prescription to your phone instead of printing paper.
The nurse asked Lina for her name before handing over the new prescription.
You will need a prescription from your doctor before the chemist can sell you these pills.
文法句型
a prescription for + [medicine/condition]
write/give someone a prescription
用法筆記
Frequently appears in 'write/fill/get a prescription' and 'a prescription for [illness or drug]'. Distinguish from sense 2: this is the paper or digital order itself, not the medicine that comes from it.
常見錯誤
2. the actual medicine that you receive because a doctor told you to take it, espec
the actual medicine that you receive because a doctor told you to take it, especially when you collect it from a pharmacy.
Marcus picked up his blood-pressure prescription on the way home from work.
pick up [a/one's] prescription
Remember to take your prescription with food, twice a day, after meals.
Grandma keeps all her prescriptions in a small blue box on the kitchen shelf.
The pharmacy will deliver your prescription to your door for a small fee.
Lina forgot to take her prescription with her on the weekend trip to Tainan.
- medication
more formal; covers any drug, whether prescribed or over-the-counter
- meds
informal plural used in everyday speech
文法句型
pick up / take / refill a prescription
用法筆記
Object is the drug itself, so it can be 'taken', 'swallowed', 'finished', or 'run out of'. Distinguish from sense 1: you can swallow your prescription only in this sense; in sense 1 you swallow the medicine the prescription names.
常見錯誤
3. the exact lens power your eyes need in order to see clearly, or the slip from an
the exact lens power your eyes need in order to see clearly, or the slip from an eye doctor that records this power so an optician can build the right glasses or matching contact lenses for you.
Maya's prescription has changed, so she needs new lenses for her reading glasses.
one's prescription has changed
The optician printed Carlos's new prescription on a small white card.
Online shops will send you contact lenses if you upload your prescription.
Bring your latest prescription to the eye shop before choosing frames.
David's prescription is much stronger in the right eye than in the left.
- lens prescription
fuller phrase used when context is unclear
- Rx
common short form on lens packaging and online forms
文法句型
one's prescription has changed
a prescription for glasses / contact lenses
用法筆記
Subject is usually the eye itself ('my prescription'), not a doctor. Often appears with 'change', 'update', 'check', 'strong', 'weak'. Distinguish from sense 1: this sense is for vision, not for medicine to swallow.
常見錯誤
4. an idea or set of steps that someone offers as the right way to fix a problem or
an idea or set of steps that someone offers as the right way to fix a problem or reach a goal — for example, a politician's prescription for ending poverty, or a coach's prescription for winning a game.
The mayor's prescription for cleaner air includes more buses and fewer cars in the city centre.
prescription for + [desired outcome]
Cutting taxes alone is no prescription for a healthy economy, the report warned.
Skipping breakfast and arguing with your boss is a prescription for a terrible day.
Coach Lopez offered a simple prescription for the team: more sleep and fewer late-night snacks.
Many writers see daily reading as their prescription for a sharper mind.
文法句型
a prescription for + [outcome]
a prescription for disaster / success
用法筆記
Almost always followed by 'for + [outcome]', and the outcome is often something either very desired ('success', 'happiness') or feared ('disaster', 'failure'). The figurative meaning borrows from the medical sense, so the speaker is comparing advice to a doctor's order.
常見錯誤
prescription — adjective
1. (used before a noun) made to match a particular person's eyes or health needs, a
(used before a noun) made to match a particular person's eyes or health needs, after an eye doctor or doctor has tested them — most often used of glasses, lenses, sunglasses, or medicines.
Maya bought a pair of prescription sunglasses for her summer trip to Okinawa.
prescription + [type of eyewear]
Prescription lenses are usually thicker than the lenses in cheap reading glasses.
Carlos asked the chemist whether the cream was a prescription drug or one he could just buy.
Some swimming goggles can be made with prescription lenses for people who wear glasses.
Prescription contact lenses cost more than the plain ones used in costumes.
- prescribed
verb-form adjective; used mainly of medicines that have already been ordered by a doctor
- custom
broader; refers to anything made for one person, not only medical or optical items
- over-the-counter
of medicine sold without a doctor's slip
- non-prescription
general opposite, covering both lenses and medicines
文法句型
prescription + [glasses / lenses / sunglasses / drug]
用法筆記
Only used before a noun, never after a linking verb — you cannot say 'these glasses are prescription'. The opposite, sold without a doctor's slip, is normally 'over-the-counter' (for medicine) or 'non-prescription' (for both medicine and lenses).