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neurotransmitter

American  
[noor-oh-trans-mit-er, -tranz-, nyoor-] / ˌnʊər oʊˈtræns mɪt ər, -ˈtrænz-, ˌnyʊər- /

noun

  1. any of several chemical substances, as epinephrine or acetylcholine, that transmit nerve impulses across a synapse to a postsynaptic element, as another nerve, muscle, or gland.

neurotransmitter British  
/ ˌnjʊərəʊtrænzˈmɪtə /

noun

  1. a chemical by which a nerve cell communicates with another nerve cell or with a muscle

"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
neurotransmitter Scientific  
/ nr′ō-trănz′mĭt-ər /

  1. A chemical substance that is produced and secreted by a neuron and then diffuses across a synapse to cause excitation or inhibition of another neuron. Acetylcholine, norepinephrine, dopamine, and serotonin are examples of neurotransmitters.

neurotransmitter Cultural  

  1. Any one of a number of chemicals that are used to transmit nerve signals across a synapse. They are sprayed from the end of the “upstream” nerve cell and absorbed by receptors in the “downstream” cell.

Discover More

Drugs like Prozac and alcohol affect the emission and reception of neurotransmitters.

Etymology

Origin of neurotransmitter

First recorded in 1960–65; neuro- + transmitter

Vocabulary lists containing neurotransmitter

Body Parts: Neur ("Nerve")

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Psychology

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Biology-Information Processing - High School

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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.

Many mood disorders and neurodegenerative conditions, including Alzheimer's disease, are linked to disruptions in serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a key role in regulating mood and other brain functions.

From Science Daily • Mar. 8, 2026

Actually winning releases serotonin, a neurotransmitter associated with stabilized mood and feelings of calmness.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 12, 2026

"The same kinds of interactions we discovered are used in neurotransmitter receptors and hormone signaling."

From Science Daily • Feb. 6, 2026

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that plays a crucial role in our brain's reward and pleasure systems.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2025

“Which scientists think is the neurotransmitter related to depression...If you have a lack of this chemical in your system, you can start to get depressed.”

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

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.