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Definition of addiction noun from the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary

addiction

noun
 
/əˈdɪkʃn/
 
/əˈdɪkʃn/
[uncountable, countable]
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  1. the condition of being unable to stop using or doing something as a habit, especially something harmful
    • cocaine addiction
    • addiction to something He is now fighting his addiction to alcohol.
    • an addiction to TV game shows/social media/gambling
    Collocations IllnessesIllnessesBecoming ill
    • catch a cold/​an infectious disease/​the flu/(British English) flu/​pneumonia/​a virus/(informal) a bug
    • get (British English) ill/(North American English) sick/​a disease/​AIDS/​breast cancer/​a cold/​the flu/(British English) flu/​a migraine
    • come down with a cold/​the flu/(British English) flu
    • contract a deadly disease/​a serious illness/​HIV/​AIDS
    • be infected with a virus/​a parasite/​HIV
    • develop cancer/​diabetes/​a rash/​an ulcer/​symptoms of hepatitis
    • have a heart attack/​a stroke
    • provoke/​trigger/​produce an allergic reaction
    • block/​burst/​rupture a blood vessel
    • damage/​sever a nerve/​an artery/​a tendon
    Being ill
    • feel (British English) ill/​nauseous/​queasy
    • be running (British English) a temperature/(North American English) a fever
    • have a head cold/​diabetes/​heart disease/​lung cancer/​a headache/(British English) a high temperature/(North American English) a fever
    • suffer from asthma/​malnutrition/​frequent headaches/​nausea/​bouts of depression/​post-traumatic stress disorder
    • be laid up with/ (British English) be in bed with a cold/​the flu/(British English) flu/​a migraine
    • nurse a cold/​a headache/​a hangover
    • battle/​fight cancer/​depression/​addiction/​alcoholism
    Treatments
    • examine a patient
    • diagnose a condition/​disease/​disorder
    • be diagnosed with cancer/​diabetes/​schizophrenia
    • prescribe/​be given/​be on/​take drugs/​medicine/​medication/​pills/​painkillers/​antibiotics
    • treat somebody for cancer/​depression/​shock
    • have/​undergo an examination/​an operation/​surgery/​a kidney transplant/​therapy/​chemotherapy/​treatment for cancer
    • have/​be given an injection/(British English) a flu jab/(North American English) a flu shot/​a blood transfusion/​a scan/​an X-ray
    • cure a disease/​an ailment/​cancer/​a headache/​a patient
    • prevent the spread of disease/​further outbreaks/​damage to the lungs
    • be vaccinated against the flu/(British English) flu/​the measles/(British English) measles/​polio/​smallpox
    • enhance/​boost/​confer/​build immunity to a disease
    Extra Examples
    • She stole money from her parents to feed her addiction.
    • He was struggling to beat his heroin addiction.
    • She had an addiction to heroin.
    Topics Social issuesb2, Health problemsb2
    Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective
    • alcohol
    • cocaine
    • drug
    verb + addiction
    • become
    • turn into
    • have
    preposition
    • addiction to
    See full entry
    Word Originlate 16th cent. (denoting a person's inclination): from Latin addictio(n-), from addicere ‘assign’, from ad- ‘to’ + dicere ‘say’.
See addiction in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee addiction in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic English
trait
noun
 
 
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