ketamine

noun

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ke·ta·mine | \ ˈke-tə-ˌmēn

, ˈkē-

Definition of ketamine

: a general anesthetic that is administered intravenously and intramuscularly in the form of its hydrochloride C₁₃H₁₆ClNO·HCl and that is used illicitly usually by being inhaled in powdered form especially for the dreamlike or hallucinogenic state it produces

Note: Ketamine is also called Special K when used as a recreational drug

Examples of ketamine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web It was modeled after the drug ketamine, an anesthetic that has been used for many years to treat depression. — David E. Carpenter, Forbes, "Researchers In Europe, U.S. Team Up To Produce First Ever 5-MeO-DMT Psychedelic Training Program," 19 Apr. 2021 Aurora Fire Department personnel later injected him with the sedative ketamine. — Erin Donaghue, CBS News, "Independent report details how police and EMS mishandled Elijah McClain's fatal arrest," 23 Feb. 2021 The 5-foot-7, 140-pound McClain was given ketamine that would have been proper for a man weighing 190 pounds, according to the panel's findings. — NBC News, "Independent probe accuses police and paramedics of wrongdoing in death of Elijah McClain," 22 Feb. 2021 In later years, Lilly began taking LSD and ketamine while floating, befriending Timothy Leary and taking part in ’60s psychedelia. — New York Times, "How Nothingness Became Everything We Wanted," 19 Jan. 2021 The recent Johns Hopkins research comes less than two years after the FDA approved a nasal spray containing ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. — NBC News, "Psychedelics as health and wellness aid? Not a hallucination," 15 Nov. 2020 Officials say there were a total of 30 pounds of liquid ketamine in the 11 shipments seized between Oct. 6 and 9, worth a cumulative value of about $215,000. — Madeline Mitchell, The Enquirer, "Feds: 30 pounds of illegal anesthetic manifested as personal care products seized in Cincinnati," 14 Oct. 2020 The City Council already has begun an investigation of Aurora's policies on using force and ketamine, the sedative injected into McClain. — CBS News, "Colorado attorney general announces broader probe of Aurora Police Department," 11 Aug. 2020 That can be hard to maintain in the wake of revelations like Hennepin Healthcare’s participation in a controversial study that administered the sedative ketamine to African Americans more often than white people during police encounters. — Joe Carlson, Star Tribune, "COVID widens racial gap in Minnesota's health care system," 14 Sep. 2020

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

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Last Updated

26 Apr 2021

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“Ketamine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ketamine. Accessed 12 May. 2021.

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More Definitions for ketamine

ketamine

noun

ke·ta·mine | \ ˈkēt-ə-ˌmēn

Medical Definition of ketamine

: a general anesthetic that is administered intravenously or intramuscularly in the form of its hydrochloride C₁₃H₁₆ClNO·HCl and that is used illicitly usually by being inhaled in powdered form especially for the dreamlike or hallucinogenic state it produces — see special k