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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

Vocabulary lists containing cocaine

South America - High School

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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.

But Paul Gootenberg, a professor at Stony Brook University and author of “Andean Cocaine: The Making of a Global Drug,” characterized Trump’s military operation as a “simplistic” approach to complex social problems.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 6, 2025

She did however appear in several pre-recorded sketches, parodying movies like Barbie and Cocaine Bear, and was also named as the winner of the best host award for the Drew Barrymore Show.

From BBC • May 8, 2023

“I have to say, I can’t wait to see Pence debating Donald Trump. It’s going to be like Elmo versus Cocaine Bear.”

From New York Times • Mar. 15, 2023

Kentucky for Kentucky, with its unconventional approach to promoting the commonwealth, has been cashing in on Cocaine Bear’s likeness years before Hollywood brought it to the big screen.

From Washington Post • Mar. 2, 2023

I remember Charlie Rangel proposed the Crack Cocaine Equitable Sentencing Act, but those words don't mean anything!

From Salon • Jun. 19, 2011

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.