dopamine

American  

[doh-puh-meen] / ˈdoʊ pəˌmin /

noun

dopamines plural

1. Biochemistry. a catecholamine neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, retina, and sympathetic ganglia, acting within the brain to help regulate movement and emotion: its depletion may cause Parkinson's disease.

2. Pharmacology. a dopamine preparation used to increase the force of contraction of the heart in the treatment of shock.

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dopamine British  

/ ˈdɒpəmɪn /

noun

1. a chemical found in the brain that acts as a neurotransmitter and is an intermediate compound in the synthesis of noradrenaline. Formula: (HO) 2 C 6 H 3 (CH 2 ) 2 NH 2

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• dopamines
  plural

Etymology

Origin of dopamine

First recorded in 1955–60; see origin at dopa, amine

Compare meaning

How does dopamine compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• dopamine vs. serotonin

Example Sentences

Creatine may also influence dopamine and serotonin, two neurotransmitters that play important roles in mood regulation and are targeted by many antidepressant medications.

From Science Daily • Jun. 30, 2026

“I couldn’t communicate with the woman I loved directly, but I got the dopamine hit from AImee that I used to get from her.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 23, 2026

She says she felt "ashamed" by the amount of money she was splashing out - but was hooked on the dopamine hit.

From BBC • May 1, 2026

“You can get that dopamine hit so much quicker and so much more often,” said Fields, who specializes in addiction psychology and biology.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 17, 2026

“They’re so amped up on dopamine that when it’s not firing, they feel dull, dead,” he says.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel