ketamine

ke·ta·mine | \ ˈkē-tə-ˌmēn

How to pronounce ketamine (audio)

, ˈke- \

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 Esketamine is similar to ketamine, an anesthetic that is sometimes misused recreationally but that has also been used off-label for depression. — Megan Thielking, STAT, "Trump touted a new antidepressant as a solution for veterans. Only 15 have been treated," 6 Jan. 2020 Another group of patients received a dose of ketamine without undergoing memory retrieval. — Megan Thielking, STAT, "With the help of ketamine, researchers rewrite memories in a bid to curb harmful drinking," 26 Nov. 2019 The autopsy found only ketamine and marijuana in his system. — Kieran Nicholson, The Denver Post, "No criminal charges against Aurora officers in death of Elijah McClain," 23 Nov. 2019 Authorities reported seizing 2,510 ecstasy pills, 15 ounces of cocaine, 30 grams of MDMA, 14 ounces of ketamine, two fluid of GHB, and 50 doses of LSD, among other real and fake drugs. — Katie Bain, Billboard, "Belgian Officials Release Arrest Report For Tomorrowland 2019," 1 Aug. 2019 Again, ketamine had the greatest overlap with NDEs in this type of analysis. — Robert Martone, Scientific American, "New Clues Found in Understanding Near-Death Experiences," 10 Sep. 2019 Researchers have discovered that ketamine, a drug of choice for club-goers for decades, can be used to fight severe cases of the blues. — Washington Post, "How Ketamine Opens a New Era for Depression Treatment," 14 June 2019 How about the accountant who visited for the weekend, cured his depression with a single dose of ketamine, and became a Zen monk? — Adam Lashinsky, Fortune, "Silicon Valley’s Smokescreen and the Phoniness of ‘Thought Leadership’—Data Sheet," 20 Aug. 2019 Desperate times call for desperate measures, and Destiny is soon taking part in one of Ramona’s fishing schemes, serving their clients a memory-addling cocktail of ketamine and MDMA and then stealthily palming and maxing out their credit cards. — Justin Chang, Los Angeles Times, "Jennifer Lopez is a star reborn in ‘Hustlers,’ a smart, bracing tale of strippers turned grifters," 8 Sep. 2019

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

12 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Ketamine.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ketamine. Accessed 23 January 2020.

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