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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.

A decade on she says: "I think we're on the cusp of seeing heroin chic return."

From BBC

As author and radio host Thom Hartmann sharply observed in a new essay, Fox News is like heroin to its public.

From Salon

He returned and was booted out again for stories that purported to show links between Prime Minister Hun Sen and heroin traffickers.

From Washington Post

Edwin Chapman, a cardiologist and specialist in addiction medicine, treats opioid, heroin and fentanyl addicts at his office in Northeast Washington.

From Washington Post

The sniffer, whose secret use in the skies over Mexico has never been reported, had been deployed by the Pentagon and the CIA to target heroin production sites in Afghanistan.

From Washington Post

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.