chloroform

[ klawr-uh-fawrm, klohr- ]

/ ˈklɔr əˌfɔrm, ˈkloʊr- /

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See synonyms for: chloroform / chloroformed / chloroforming on Thesaurus.com

noun

Also called trichloromethane. Chemistry, Pharmacology. a colorless, volatile, nonflammable, slightly water-soluble, pungent, sweet-tasting liquid, CHCl3, usually derived from acetone, acetaldehyde, or ethyl alcohol by the reaction of chloride of lime: used chiefly in medicine as a solvent and formerly as an anesthetic.

verb (used with object)

to administer chloroform to, especially in order to anesthetize, make unconscious, or kill.

to put chloroform on (a cloth, object, etc.).

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Origin of chloroform

First recorded in 1830–40; chloro-² + form(yl)

OTHER WORDS FROM chloroform

chlo·ro·for·mic, adjectivepre·chlo·ro·form, verb (used with object)

Words nearby chloroform

chlorocarbon, chloroethane, chloroethene, chlorofluorocarbon, chlorofluoromethane, chloroform, chloroformyl chloride, chlorogenic acid, chlorohydrin, chlorohydroquinone, chloromethane

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use chloroform in a sentence

Rick will disable the driver with chloroform, and Fred will drive the bus to the hidden location where Fred keeps an eye on the bus.
The ballad of the Chowchilla bus kidnapping|Kaleb Horton|July 23, 2021|Vox
Luckily, chloroform and ether were particularly effective on “boisterous” women and therefore used to quiet them—in doctors’ words—“not only temporarily but permanently.”
Declared Insane for Speaking Up: The Dark American History of Silencing Women Through Psychiatry|Kate Moore|June 22, 2021|Time
Walsh further acknowledged that the FBI had not found any actual chloroform such as Valle had spoken of using.
Cannibal Cop May Be Saved by His Own Words|Michael Daly|February 28, 2013|DAILY BEAST
In addition, air tests from the trunk showing high levels of chloroform are expected.
The Case Against Casey|Diane Dimond|May 22, 2011|DAILY BEAST

In the presence of bromin the chloroform, which settles to the bottom, assumes a yellow color.
A Manual of Clinical Diagnosis|James Campbell Todd
The fumes of the chloroform seemed to have closed over Dangerfields consciousness once more.
The Woman Gives|Owen Johnson
Ikey remembered seeing his father kill a pet dog with chloroform, and so volunteered to try it on the cat.
The Story of the Big Front Door|Mary Finley Leonard
And you exhibited to him the vial of chloroform and the piece of cambric?
The Diamond Coterie|Lawrence L. Lynch
They gave you a very light dose of chloroform, Miss Wardour.
The Diamond Coterie|Lawrence L. Lynch

British Dictionary definitions for chloroform

chloroform

/ (ˈklɔːrəˌfɔːm) /

noun

a heavy volatile liquid with a sweet taste and odour, used as a solvent and cleansing agent and in refrigerants: formerly used as an inhalation anaesthetic. Formula: CHCl 3Systematic name: trichloromethane

Word Origin for chloroform

C19: from chloro- + form (yl) (in an obsolete sense that applied to a CH radical)

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

Scientific definitions for chloroform

chloroform

[ klôr′ə-fôrm′ ]

A colorless, toxic, sweet-tasting liquid formed by combining methane with chlorine. It is used as a solvent and was once widely used as an anesthetic. Chemical formula: CHCl3.

chloroform

Origin of chloroform

OTHER WORDS FROM chloroform

Words nearby chloroform

Words related to chloroform

How to use chloroform in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for chloroform

Word Origin for chloroform

Scientific definitions for chloroform