adrenaline

noun

adren·a·line | \ ə-ˈdre-nə-lən

Definition of adrenaline

: epinephrine

Note: Adrenaline is used in both technical and nontechnical contexts. It is commonly used in describing the physiological symptoms (such as increased heart rate and respiration) that occur as part of the body's fight-or-flight response to stress, as when someone is in a dangerous, frightening, or highly competitive situation, as well as the feelings of heightened energy, excitement, strength, and alertness associated with those symptoms. In figurative use, it suggests a drug that provides something with a jolt of useful energy and stimulation.

He felt a rush of adrenaline as he parachuted from the airplane. The fans were jubilant, raucous, their adrenaline running high.— W. P. Kinsella My reputation was as a single-day racer; show me the start line and I would win on adrenaline and anger, chopping off my competitors one by one.— Lance Armstrong London's summer antiques scene has been given a massive injection of adrenaline. — Town and Country

Examples of adrenaline in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While drivers and passengers might unleash the occasional unintelligible, adrenaline-fueled pump-up scream at one another, the inside of this giant snow sarcophagus is too loud and too intense to allow for anything else. — Jay Willis, GQ, "How to Make an Olympic Bobsledder," 16 Feb. 2018 For a repeatable boost of adrenaline, Snow King resort sits within Jackson’s city limits. — Peter Reese, Popular Mechanics, "The Best Way To Spend 72 Hours at Jackson Hole," 31 July 2018 On the screen: Stars Ben Affleck, Oscar Isaac, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund, and Pedro Pascal served guests shootouts, fist fights, riddle-solving reconnaissance, and first-rate adrenaline rushes in the jungles of Colombia. — Lauren Sanchez, Vogue, "The World Premiere of Netflix’s Triple Frontier Welcomed Guests to the Jungle," 4 Mar. 2019 Even that was a little too much of an adrenaline rush for my liking. — Amy Marturana, SELF, "'Free Solo' Star Alex Honnold Explains How He Got Into the Terrifying Sport of Free Solo Climbing," 26 Feb. 2019 The most gratifying, exciting, and adrenaline-rushing experiences happened the week of my 40th birthday in April. — Felicia Dechter, chicagotribune.com, "Column: Oak Park author Kelley Kitley honored for making Chicago a 'City of Big Readers'," 21 June 2018 For example, local anesthetics used by dentists are commonly mixed with adrenaline, which constricts blood vessels and keeps bleeding to a minimum. — Ronald S. Litman, Philly.com, "Should I worry about my child being allergic to anesthesia?," 9 July 2018 The Sky Tower itself has an observatory deck for bonkers views of the city and Pacific ocean, and adrenaline junkies can strap in and walk along an outside ledge or bungee jump (!) off the tallest manmade structure in the country. — Andrea Bartz, Marie Claire, "The Instagram Guide to Auckland, New Zealand," 11 Feb. 2019 In short, adrenaline-seekers will not be disappointed. — Todd Plummer, Harper's BAZAAR, "6 Envy-Inducing Ways to Experience the Best of Verbier," 1 Nov. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'adrenaline.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

27 Apr 2019

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The first known use of adrenaline was in 1890

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More Definitions for adrenaline

adrenaline

noun

English Language Learners Definition of adrenaline

: a substance that is released in the body of a person who is feeling a strong emotion (such as excitement, fear, or anger) and that causes the heart to beat faster and gives the person more energy

See the full definition for adrenaline in the English Language Learners Dictionary

adrenaline

noun

adren·a·line | \ ə-ˈdre-nə-lən