tyramine

American

[tahy-ruh-meen] / ˈtaɪ rəˌmin /

noun

Biochemistry.

an amine, C 8 H 11 NO, abundant in ripe cheese as a breakdown product of tyrosine by removal of the carboxyl group (COOH).

tyramine British

/ ˈtaɪrəˌmiːn, ˈtɪ- /

noun

a colourless crystalline amine derived from phenol and found in ripe cheese, ergot, decayed animal tissue, and mistletoe and used for its sympathomimetic action; 4-hydroxyphenethylamine. Formula: (C 2 H 4 NH 2 )C 6 H 4 OH

"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

Etymology

Origin of tyramine

C20: from _tyr ( _osine ) + _amine

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.

Their experiments revealed that touch activates a neural circuit that alters signals from cells releasing dopamine and tyramine.

From Science Daily • Nov. 13, 2025

If you suffer from migraines, and chocolate is one of your triggers, carob may be a helpful substitute, as it doesn’t contain tyramine, an amino acid that can trigger migraines in some people.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 8, 2024

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023