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  • nitro
    nitro
    adjective
    containing the nitro group.
  • nitro-
    nitro-
    a combining form used in the names of chemical compounds in which the nitro group is present.

nitro

1 American  
[nahy-troh] / ˈnaɪ troʊ /

adjective

  1. Chemistry. containing the nitro group.


noun

  • nitros
    plural
  1. nitroglycerin.

nitro- 2 American  
  1. a combining form used in the names of chemical compounds in which the nitro group is present.

    nitroglycerin.


nitro- 1 British  

combining form

  1. indicating that a chemical compound contains a nitro group, -NO 2

    nitrobenzene

  2. indicating that a chemical compound is a nitrate ester

    nitrocellulose

"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

nitro 2 British  
/ ˈnaɪtrəʊ /

noun

  1. slang short for nitroglycerine

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms


Etymology

Origin of nitro1

First recorded in 1855–60; see origin at nitro-

Origin of nitro-2

Combining form of Greek nítron. See niter


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.

See Examples For:

During this process, a nitro group is added to two locations on the protein, Y198 and Y250.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 24, 2026

“This is pure geopolitical nitro, leaving bulls high-fiving over the chokepoint drama,” he noted.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 27, 2026

Instead, the nitro boost they needed came from those already on the pitch - and some Kiwi indiscipline.

From BBC ● Nov. 15, 2025

So yeah, I’m gonna go a little nigh’ nigh’ and when I get back up again, shotgun a little more nitro cold brew.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 20, 2023

They had transmuted carbon into radioactive nitro gen.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

The nitrates of potassium and barium are also used admixed with nitro- cellulose in several of the sporting smokeless powders.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

Divine, and consisting of a mixture of chlorate of potash and nitro- benzol.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

It has been proposed to treat these waste acids, containing nitro- glycerine, in Mr M. Prentice's nitric acid retort.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

Maxim powder contains both soluble and insoluble nitro- cellulose, nitro-glycerine, and carbonate of soda.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

The steeper the curve the more nitrogen is evolved per unit of time, and the less stable the nitro- cellulose.

From Nitro-Explosives: A Practical Treatise by P. Gerald (Percy Gerald) Sanford

Founded and owned by Raúl Rodas, a former barista champion, this two-year-old place serves a modern yet no-frills array of excellent pour-overs, nitros, flat whites and cold brews.

From New York Times ● Aug. 10, 2017

He thought it the most delicious smell in the world; and so continued to think it for many years until the nitros displaced the old-fashioned compounds.

From The Adventures of Bobby Orde by Worth Brehm

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