DWI

abbreviation or noun

ˌdē-ˌdə-bəl-(ˌ)yü-ˈī How to pronounce DWI (audio)
plural DWIs
1
US : the crime of driving a vehicle while intoxicated : dui
was arrested for DWI
a DWI charge/case
2
US : an arrest or conviction for driving while intoxicated
Brian's license had been revoked and his new job threatened after a third DWI.—Lee Durkee
3
US : a person who is arrested for or convicted of driving under the influence
a convicted DWI

Examples of DWI in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Administrative action and criminal prosecution are separate The state’s Department of Revenue DWI information describes an administrative process that begins with an officer’s report and a Notice of Suspension or Revocation, not a conviction. — Karen Koehler, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026 According to the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, the number of DWI tickets is on the rise, and crashes are down over the past 10 years. — Stephen Swanson, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026 He was pulled over by the cops after his honeypot encounter with Alice, but talked his way out of a DWI and is still on the street. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 17 Aug. 2026 The Washington Commanders fired tight end coach Ben Steele on the eve of training camp following a DWI arrest in June. — Armando Salguero, FOXNews.com, 30 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for DWI

Word History

Etymology

driving while intoxicated

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of DWI was in 1950

Rhymes for DWI

See All Rhymes for DWI

Browse Nearby Words

dwg
DWI
Dwiggins
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“DWI.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/DWI. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

Legal Definition

DWI

abbreviation
driving while intoxicated
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Can' vs. 'May'

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

More Commonly Mispronounced Words

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All