otc

IPA/ˌəʊ tiː ˈsiː/
IPA/ˌəʊ tiː ˈsiː/

otc — abbreviation

1. used for a medicine or treatment that people can buy directly, without first get

1.abbreviationB2
Definition

used for a medicine or treatment that people can buy directly, without first getting a doctor's note

Example

The pharmacist said this allergy spray is OTC in Taiwan.

be OTC for sale without a prescription

Megan bought an OTC cold remedy before her flight home.

Common collocations
  • OTC drug
  • OTC medicine
  • OTC cream
  • OTC painkiller
  • OTC remedy
Synonyms
Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

OTC + medicine/product

be OTC

Usage Note

Usually used before nouns such as medicine, cream, or remedy, though it can also appear after be. This sense is limited to products sold without a prescription, not to medicines a doctor must order.

Common Mistakes

This medicine needs a prescription because it is OTC.
This medicine does not need a prescription because it is OTC.
OTC means the product can be bought without a doctor's order.
I bought OTC at the pharmacy.
I bought an OTC painkiller at the pharmacy.
OTC describes the product, not the place where you buy it.

2. used for shares, bonds, and similar investments traded directly between dealers

2.abbreviationB2
Definition

used for shares, bonds, and similar investments traded directly between dealers instead of through a formal stock exchange

Example

The company now sells its shares on the OTC market.

trade on the OTC market

Harper avoids OTC stocks because they can rise and fall fast.

Common collocations
  • OTC market
  • OTC stock
  • OTC share
  • OTC bond
  • OTC trading
Synonyms
  • over-the-counter

    the full form, common in finance writing

  • off-exchange

    emphasizes that the trade happens outside an exchange

  • unlisted

    focuses on not being on a formal exchange list, not the trading method

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

OTC + market/stock/share

trade on the OTC market

Usage Note

Almost always used before finance nouns such as market, stock, share, or bond. Distinguish this sense from sense 1, which is about medicine sold without a prescription.

Common Mistakes

The company is listed on the OTC exchange.
The company trades on the OTC market.
OTC trading happens outside a formal exchange, so market is the usual word.
I bought OTC yesterday.
I bought an OTC stock yesterday.
OTC describes the kind of investment, not the act of buying by itself.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: abbreviation/1

OTC and over-the-counter mean the same thing: a medicine can be sold without a doctor's prescription. OTC is the short form that appears on labels, pharmacy signs, and quick professional talk, while over-the-counter is the full form used when the writer wants to be clearer for general readers. Nonprescription is more formal and often appears in medical instructions or product information. Prescription-only is the opposite term, used for medicines that a doctor must authorize before sale. In a sentence, a pharmacist may say an allergy tablet is OTC, but a package insert may describe the same product as a nonprescription medicine.

OTC ↗over-the-counter ↗nonprescriptionprescription-only

Etymology

English

OTC is short for over-the-counter. The phrase first referred to goods sold directly at a shop or pharmacy counter, especially medicines that customers could buy without bringing a prescription. Later, finance writers used the same expression for trades made directly between dealers rather than on a formal exchange floor.