endocannabinoid

noun

en·​do·​can·​na·​bi·​noid ˌen-dō- kə-ˈna-bə-ˌnȯid 

-ˈka-nə-bə-ˌnȯid

plural endocannabinoids

: any of several chemical compounds (such as anandamide) that are naturally produced within the body and bind to the same brain receptors as compounds (such as THC) derived from cannabis : cannabinoid sense 2a

In other studies, endocannabinoid levels have been shown to increase after prolonged running and cycling, leading many scientists to conclude that endocannabinoids help to create runner's high.

—Gretchen Reynolds

Examples of endocannabinoid in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The body’s endocannabinoid system, which helps regulate mood, sleep, appetite and pain, interacts with the endocrine system, which produces and balances hormones like estrogen and progesterone. —Lauryn Higgins, Flow Space, 30 June 2025

Cannabinoids interact with the brain’s endocannabinoid system to reduce nausea and increase appetite. —Tribune Content Agency, Mercury News, 2 June 2025

Cannabis is known to affect brain chemistry by interacting with the endocannabinoid system. —Matt Rozo, Mercury News, 28 May 2025

As Rosas-Vidal hinted at, endogenous cannabinoids or endocannabinoids are produced by the body to activate CB1 (cannabinoid receptor 1) receptors, the receptors that are also responsible for producing the psychoactive effects of cannabis. —Paul McClure 24, New Atlas, 24 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1997, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for endocannabinoid

• adenoid
• alkaloid
• amoeboid
• amyloid
• aneroid
• anthropoid
• arachnoid
• asteroid
• benzenoid
• carcinoid
• celluloid
• coronoid

Medical Definition

endocannabinoid

noun

en·​do·​can·​na·​bi·​noid

ˌen-dō-ˈkan-ə-bə-ˌnȯid,

-kə-ˈnab-ə- 

: any of several chemical compounds (as anandamide) that are naturally produced within the body and bind to the same brain receptors as compounds (as THC) derived from cannabis : cannabinoid sense 2a

In other studies, endocannabinoid levels have been shown to increase after prolonged running and cycling, leading many scientists to conclude that endocannabinoids help to create runner's high.

—Gretchen Reynolds

Scientists have come to recognize that endocannabinoids interact with a specific neurological network—much the way that endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine do.

—Hampton Sides