barbiturate
Americannoun
-
barbiturates
plural
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of barbiturate
First recorded in 1925–30; barbitur(ic) + -ate 2
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.
See Examples For:
Some switched to using a single drug, the barbiturate pentobarbital, which is a sedative and anticonvulsant often used before surgeries or to treat epilepsy.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 23, 2022
But conspiracists wondering why the deputy medical examiner who performed the autopsy found no barbiturate residue in the 36-year-old movie star’s stomach if she ingested the drugs orally were disappointed by the answers.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2022
Saturday’s hearing primarily focused on whether the barbiturate sodium pentobarbital that was compounded into a solution by a licensed pharmacist met expiration guidelines.
From Seattle Times ● May 7, 2022
In 1962, movie star Marilyn Monroe, 36, was found dead in her Los Angeles home; her death was ruled a probable suicide from “acute barbiturate poisoning.”
From Washington Times ● Aug. 5, 2020
The supply of sodium thiopental, the barbiturate sedative states used to use, has since dried up because of boycotts from foreign suppliers and companies opposed to capital punishment.
From Slate ● Apr. 30, 2015
The analysis focused on five categories of CNS-active medications: antidepressants with strong anticholinergic properties, antipsychotics, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, and non-benzodiazepine hypnotics.
From Science Daily ● Jan. 13, 2026
Mr Crew, who died aged 74, reportedly told nurses "I want to die today" before drinking water laced with barbiturates under the supervision of Dignitas.
From BBC ● Nov. 29, 2024
The Omsk region Ministry of Health announced Saturday that no signs of known toxins were found in Navalny’s system, including barbiturates, strychnine, synthetic poisons and oxybutyrates, used to treat conditions such as narcolepsy.
From Washington Post ● Aug. 22, 2020
Oklahoma started using midazolam because companies making traditional barbiturates, which have a longer track record and deeper anesthetic properties, have refused to provide them for executions.
From New York Times ● Jan. 28, 2015
Assistant Attorney General John Hadden said Oklahoma and other states have been forced to look for other drug alternatives after more commonly used short-acting barbiturates became scarce because of manufacturers’ opposition to the death penalty.
From Time ● Dec. 17, 2014
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.
