narcotic
Americannoun
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any of a class of substances that blunt the senses, as opium, morphine, belladonna, marijuana, and alcohol, that in large quantities produce euphoria, stupor, or coma, that when used constantly can cause habituation or addiction, and that are used in medicine to relieve pain, cause sedation, and induce sleep.
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any controlled substance, whether sedative or stimulant.
Airports need security solutions that can effectively detect concealed explosives and narcotics.
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anything that exercises a soothing or numbing effect or influence.
Television is a narcotic for many people.
noun
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any of a group of drugs, such as heroin, morphine, and pethidine, that produce numbness and stupor. They are used medicinally to relieve pain but are sometimes also taken for their pleasant effects; prolonged use may cause addiction
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anything that relieves pain or induces sleep, mental numbness, etc
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any illegal drug
adjective
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of, relating to, or designating narcotics
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of or relating to narcotics addicts or users
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of or relating to narcosis
Other Word Forms
- antinarcotic adjective
- antinarcotics adjective
- narcotically adverb
- nonnarcotic adjective
- prenarcotic adjective
- pseudonarcotic adjective
- seminarcotic adjective
- subnarcotic adjective
- unnarcotic adjective
Etymology
Origin of narcotic
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun narcotic, narkotik, Medieval Latin narcōticum, from Greek narkōtikón, noun use of neuter of narkōtikós “benumbing,” equivalent to narkō- (stem of narkoûn “to benumb” + -tikos adjective suffix; narco-, -tic
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.
Washington has not yet provided any evidence that the boats were smuggling narcotics or posed a threat to the United States.
From Barron's
Then, Verdin said his bosses moved his partner Tan out of narcotics without notice.
From Los Angeles Times
“They can utilize the money to buy narcotics, and in turn, they will sell the narcotics to make a profit.”
From Los Angeles Times
Authorities said Ryan Wedding, a Canadian who is on the FBI’s Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list, issued an order to kill a witness in a 2024 federal narcotics case against him.
From Los Angeles Times
It’s a cash-starved state blacklisted by the Group of Seven’s Financial Action Task Force and awash in narcotics and money from online fraud.
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.
