inhibitor

noun in·hib·i·tor \ in-ˈhi-bə-tər \

|Updated on: 14 Jul 2018

Definition of inhibitor

: one that inhibits: such as

a : an agent that slows or interferes with a chemical action

b : a substance that reduces or suppresses the activity of another substance (such as an enzyme)

Recent Examples of inhibitor from the Web

With this information, scientists used tiny beads coated with protein inhibitors that blocked protein activity, and which lead to bird-specific gene expressions in the embryonic chicken reverting to its ancestral anatomy.

— matt blitz, Popular Mechanics, "The Real Science of Bringing Back the Dinosaurs," 20 June 2018
Lanabecestat is known as a BACE inhibitor, aimed to prevent an enzyme from producing the sticky substance known as amyloid that builds up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

— peter loftus, WSJ, "Eli Lilly, AstraZeneca Drop Two Late-Stage Alzheimer’s Drug Trials," 12 June 2018
Checkpoint inhibitors work by activating white blood cells called T-cells, a part of the immune system that should attack tumors.

— denise grady, New York Times, "A Promising Cancer Treatment Made Patients Worse, Not Better," 5 June 2018
In other trials, immune checkpoint inhibitors take the brakes off the immune system to unleash attacks on tumors.

— julie landry laviolette, miamiherald, "Most of her sarcoma tumors melted away with this clinical trial treatment | Miami Herald," 23 May 2018
The aggressive drug-development plan is based on a belief that NKTR-214 boosts the efficacy of Bristol’s checkpoint inhibitor Opdivo.

— adam feuerstein, STAT, "A controversial ASCO presentation underscores risk Bristol, Nektar carry with experimental cancer drug," 3 June 2018
Today, there are more than 2,000 cancer immunotherapies in development, including 164 checkpoint inhibitors that target just the PD-1/L1 pathway.

— Scientific American, "After the Gold Rush," 3 May 2018
In exchange for the price reduction, Praluent will become the exclusive PCSK9 inhibitor therapy drug of Express Scripts’ National Preferred Formulary Plan, which has 25 million members.

— kirsten korosec, Fortune, "A $14,000 Cholesterol Drug Is Getting A 69% Price Cut," 1 May 2018
When officers are trained about inhibitors preventing them from taking action, they are better prepared to intervene, Staub said.

— emily lane, NOLA.com, "How the Rwandan genocide and first graders help explain NOPD's culture change," 20 Apr. 2018

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