OxyContin
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of OxyContin
First recorded in 1990–95; oxy- 2 ( def. ) + contin(uous) ( def. ), perhaps after the controlled-release nature of the drug
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.
Purdue first introduced OxyContin, a powerful prescription pain-management drug, in the 1990s.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 28, 2026
The deal, as approved by lower courts, would protect the Sackler family, which made $11 billion from creating and distributing the opioid OxyContin, from future lawsuits.
From Washington Times ● Dec. 4, 2023
Matthew Broderick plays Richard Sackler who is the architect of OxyContin.
From Salon ● Aug. 19, 2023
Dame Jillian Sackler, whose husband, Arthur, died years before OxyContin arrived on the market, began giving to the Academies in 2000, and donated $5 million by 2017, Academies reports show.
From New York Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
As Poitras frames it: “A renowned artist with enormous power in the art world decides to leverage her power to go after” the Sackler family, owners of Purdue Pharma, maker of OxyContin.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 29, 2022
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.
