ivermectin

noun

iver·​mec·​tin ˌī-vər-ˈmek-tən 

: a drug mixture of two structurally similar semisynthetic lactones that is used in veterinary medicine as an anthelmintic, acaricide, and insecticide and in human medicine to treat onchocerciasis

Examples of ivermectin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

What the lawsuit says The Texas Medical Board’s public reprimand and Bowden's subsequent lawsuit stem from her prescription of ivermectin to a patient admitted to Texas Health Huguley Hospital in Fort Worth in late 2021. —Evan MacDonald, Houston Chronicle, 13 Feb. 2026

Preliminary data from a small clinical trial that gave ivermectin to patients with one type of metastatic breast cancer, in combination with immunotherapy, found no significant benefit from the addition of ivermectin. —Rachana Pradhan, Miami Herald, 12 Feb. 2026

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is backing a Houston doctor who was reprimanded for prescribing ivermectin to a COVID-19 patient at a Fort Worth hospital in 2021. —Ciara McCarthy, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Feb. 2026

The lack of evidence about ivermectin and cancer hasn’t stopped celebrities and online influencers from promoting the notion that the drug is a cure-all. —Rachana Pradhan, STAT, 10 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from di- + New Latin avermitilis (specific epithet of Streptomyces avermitilis, bacterium from which it is derived) + English -ect- (of unknown origin) + -in entry 1

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ivermectin

• fibronectin
• amylopectin
• lectin
• pecten
• pectin
• selectin

Medical Definition

ivermectin

noun

iver·​mec·​tin ˌī-vər-ˈmek-tən 

: a drug mixture of two structurally similar semisynthetic macrocyclic lactones that is a derivative of avermectin used in veterinary medicine as an anthelmintic, acaricide, and insecticide and in human medicine to treat onchocerciasis