decongestant

[ dee-kuhn-jes-tuhnt ]

/ ˌdi kənˈdʒɛs tənt /

Pharmacology

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adjective

of or relating to a substance that relieves mucus congestion of the upper respiratory tract.

noun

any such substance.

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Origin of decongestant

First recorded in 1945–50; de- + congest + -ant

Words nearby decongestant

decompression sickness, deconcentrate, decondition, deconflict, decongest, decongestant, decongestive, deconsecrate, deconstruct, deconstructed, deconstruction

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use decongestant in a sentence

She took an over-the-counter decongestant, but that didn’t help.
Hours after a massage, a professor was wildly dizzy and deaf in one ear|Sandra G. Boodman|December 11, 2021|Washington Post

British Dictionary definitions for decongestant

decongestant

/ (ˌdiːkənˈdʒɛstənt) /

adjective

relieving congestion, esp nasal congestion

noun

a decongestant drug

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

Medical definitions for decongestant

decongestant

[ dē′kən-jĕs′tənt ]

A medication or treatment that breaks up congestion, as that of the sinuses, by reducing swelling.

adj.

Capable of relieving congestion.

Scientific definitions for decongestant

decongestant

[ dē′kən-jĕs′tənt ]

A medication that reduces congestion of the nose or sinuses, usually by causing vasoconstriction.