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heroin

American  
[her-oh-in] / ˈhɛr oʊ ɪn /

noun

Pharmacology.

  1. a white, crystalline, narcotic powder, C 21 H 23 NO 5 , derived from morphine, formerly used as an analgesic and sedative: manufacture and importation of heroin are now controlled by federal law in the U.S. because of the danger of addiction.

heroin British  
/ ˈhɛrəʊɪn /

noun

  1. Technical names: diamorphine.   diacetylmorphine.  a white odourless bitter-tasting crystalline powder related to morphine: a highly addictive narcotic. Formula: C 21 H 23 NO 5

"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
heroin Scientific  
/ hĕr′ō-ĭn /

  1. A white, odorless, bitter crystalline compound, C 17 H 17 NO(C 2 H 3 O 2) 2, that is derived from morphine and is a highly addictive narcotic.

Etymology

Origin of heroin

1895–1900; formerly trademark; < German Heroin < Greek hērō-, stem of hḗrōs hero + German -in -in 2; allegedly so called from the feelings of power and euphoria which it stimulates

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.

Ms Trehan added that the Heroin Idun could not identify the Naval ship in the darkness and assumed that it was a pirate ship.

From BBC • Dec. 22, 2022

Heroin addict has been replaced by person with an opioid use disorder; wheelchair-bound by wheelchair user; patients are not illegal, but undocumented.

From Slate • Sep. 17, 2021

That same year, Kemp Chester was named the associate director of the National Heroin Coordination Group in Botticelli’s office.

From Washington Post • Mar. 13, 2019

Some of his stories, usually unacknowledged, would appear in my book, “The Politics of Heroin in Southeast Asia“.

From Salon • Aug. 29, 2017

With songs such as "Heroin" and "Sweet Jane," and an androgynous, black-clad look, he paved the way for punk, glam and alternative rock.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 28, 2013

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.