fentanyl

noun

fen·​ta·​nyl ˈfen-tə-ˌnil 

: a synthetic opioid narcotic analgesic C₂₂H₂₈N₂O with pharmacological action similar to morphine that is administered transdermally as a skin patch and in the form of its citrate C₂₂H₂₈N₂O·C₆H₈O₇ is administered orally or parenterally (as by intravenous or epidural injection)

Examples of fentanyl in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Overdose deaths from fentanyl and from all drugs had been increasing in Oklahoma every year since 2020, before falling sharply in 2024, according to the most recent state data. —Ari Fife, The Frontier, 17 Feb. 2026

Together, national guardsmen and California Highway Patrol officers had seized more than 34,000 pounds of fentanyl, Newsom said, a quantity whose street value officials estimated at $506 million. —Andrew Graham, Sacbee.com, 15 Feb. 2026

In 2025, authorities seized 41 tons of methamphetamine, 23 tons of marijuana, 5 tons of cocaine, 182 kilograms of fentanyl and 166 kilograms of heroin throughout the state. —Alexandra Mendoza, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Feb. 2026

Some bus stops are also used as a hub for the distribution of narcotics, with people buying and selling out in the open, in addition to smoking fentanyl or methamphetamines while riding the bus, according to Jacobson. —Michael Ruiz , Adriana James-Rodil, FOXNews.com, 13 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

probably alteration of phenethyl, a monovalent radical derived from ethylbenzine, from phen- + ethyl

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

fentanyl

noun

fen·​ta·​nyl ˈfent-ᵊn-ˌil 

: a synthetic opioid narcotic analgesic C₂₂H₂₈N₂O with pharmacological action similar to morphine that is administered transdermally as a skin patch and in the form of its citrate C₂₂H₂₈N₂O·C₆H₈O₇ is administered orally or parenterally

Note: Fentanyl is marketed under the trademark Actiq.