stimulant
Americannoun
-
Physiology, Medicine/Medical. something that temporarily quickens some vital process or the functional activity of some organ or part.
Adrenalin is a stimulant for the heart.
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any food or beverage that stimulates, especially coffee, tea, or, in its initial effect, alcoholic liquor.
-
a stimulus or incentive.
adjective
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Physiology, Medicine/Medical. temporarily quickening some vital process or functional activity.
noun
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a drug or similar substance that increases physiological activity, esp of a particular organ
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any stimulating agent or thing
adjective
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of stimulant
First recorded in 1720–30, stimulant is from the Latin word stimulant- (stem of stimulāns, present participle of stimulāre to goad). See stimulus, -ant
Explanation
A stimulant is a drug that speeds up your body or an event that spurs you to action. Both types of stimulant get you going. You might drink coffee in the morning for a reason: the caffeine in coffee is a stimulant, which gives you energy and helps you wake up. Other stimulants are much more harmful, such as illegal drugs like cocaine, but all stimulants speed up your system. Also, a stimulant can be anything that arouses action. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, it was a stimulant that drove America into World War II.
Vocabulary lists containing stimulant
Across Five Aprils
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Lesson 4
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Selection Vocabulary 2, Unit 6
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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.
Caffeine acts as a muscle stimulant and can increase heart rate in some people.
From Science Daily • May 18, 2026
Of these, about 22,000 hectares are legal -- grown to be chewed as a stimulant, brewed into a tea thought to combat altitude sickness or used in religious rituals.
From Barron's • Nov. 21, 2025
The school told Gansky’s mother that the girl should see a psychiatrist, who diagnosed her with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, and prescribed a stimulant.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
So, Gomez sent them home with an antibiotic and an appetite stimulant.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 25, 2025
It was their delight, their folly, their anodyne, their intellectual stimulant.
From "1984" by George Orwell
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.
