adrenaline

noun

adren·​a·​line ə-ˈdre-nə-lən 

: 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

In the days and weeks afterward, many of those responders found that just hearing a phone ring would evoke the same shock and horror, producing surges of adrenaline and other brain chemicals that signal danger, fear and panic. —Krys Fluker, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Mar. 2026

There’s a part of our nervous system, in our adrenaline, which is often about fight or flight, and the one thing athletes can never do is the flight part, which is running away. —Tim Chan, HollywoodReporter, 26 Mar. 2026

And while not nearly as long or strenuous as the Grand Canyon, this hike packs nearly as much adrenaline through route-finding, scrambles, and boulder-hopping. —Madison Chapman, Outside, 25 Mar. 2026

Barbu’s three-mile push to the finish, wounded and running on pure adrenaline through mountain terrain, came down to a split-second decision. —Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 25 Mar. 2026

Word History

Etymology

adrenal entry 2 + -ine entry 2

First Known Use

1890, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for adrenaline

• adrenalin
• isoprenaline
• noradrenalin
• noradrenaline

Kids Definition

adrenaline

noun

adren·​a·​line ə-ˈdren-ᵊl-ən 

: epinephrine

Medical Definition

adrenaline

noun

adren·​a·​line ə-ˈdren-ᵊl-ən 

: epinephrine

—recognized by the British Pharmaceutical Codex as the preferred name for epinephrine in Great Britain