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cocaine

American  
[koh-keyn, koh-keyn] / koʊˈkeɪn, ˈkoʊ keɪn /

noun

Pharmacology.

  1. a bitter, crystalline alkaloid, C 17 H 21 NO 4 , obtained from coca leaves, used as a local anesthetic and also widely used as an illicit drug for its stimulant and euphorigenic properties.

cocaine British  
/ kəˈkeɪn /

noun

  1. an addictive narcotic drug derived from coca leaves or synthesized, used medicinally as a topical anaesthetic. Formula: C 17 H 21 NO 4

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
cocaine Scientific  
/ kō-kān′ /

  1. A colorless or white crystalline alkaloid extracted from coca leaves. Cocaine is sometimes used in medicine as a local anesthetic, especially for the eyes, nose, or throat. It is also widely used as an illicit drug for its euphoric and stimulating effects. Chemical formula: C 17 H 21 NO 4 .

cocaine Cultural  

  1. A drug derived from the leaves of a shrub in South America that has an intoxicating effect on the body and can result in dependency if frequently used. Cocaine is used medically as a local anesthetic.

Discover More

Cocaine use constitutes a major drug problem in the United States.

Etymology

Origin of cocaine

First recorded in 1870–75; coca + -ine 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Colombian President Gustavo Petro on Tuesday said the United States bombed a suspected cocaine factory in the port city of Maracaibo, Venezuela.

From Barron's

The New York Times reports, however, that “Venezuela is not a drug producer, and the cocaine that transits through the country and the waters around it is generally bound for Europe.”

From Salon

"With one law, we can protect Generation Alpha from being sucked into purgatory by the predatory algorithms described by the man who created the feature as behavioural cocaine," Wells said.

From BBC

Venezuela hardly grows any coca, the leaf from which cocaine is made, and has few laboratories.

From The Wall Street Journal

Nearly four out of five counterdrug missions intercepting cocaine bound for the U.S. involved foreign navies or coast guards, according to Southcom.

From The Wall Street Journal

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.