ketamine
noun
ke·ta·mine
ˈke-tə-ˌmēn 
ˈkē-
ˈkē-
: 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
The Friends actor died in his Los Angeles-area home on Oct. 28, 2003, due to acute effects of ketamine, according to an autopsy report obtained by PEOPLE.
—
Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The mission had already begun to go sideways when Dana Beal — a pioneer of New York’s marijuana legalization movement but someone who has never obtained a driver’s license — enlisted a ketamine enthusiast to chauffeur him across America.
—Corey Kilgannon, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Depression that’s not linked to any negative news, and ketamine is helpful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind.
—William Earl, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
Perry was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy at the time of his death; however, his most recent session had been one-and-a-half weeks before his death.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
Of those, 10 advertisers, spread over both months, either offered ketamine for drug addiction or ketamine via telehealth, and were not registered with LegitScript.
—Darius Tahir, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024
Another defendant arrested at the club pleaded not guilty and awaits trial on charges of acquiring drug proceeds and possession of ketamine with intent to distribute, according to court records.
—Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 22 Mar. 2024
Law enforcement officers restrained the 23-year-old, and paramedics injected him with a lethal dose of ketamine.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
Over the course of slightly more than an hour, the two men jousted over subjects ranging from the political consequences of immigration and the benefits and harms of content moderation to Musk’s symptoms of depression and his use of ketamine to alleviate them.
—David Hamilton, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
Angel Saunders, Peoplemag, 6 Apr. 2024
The mission had already begun to go sideways when Dana Beal — a pioneer of New York’s marijuana legalization movement but someone who has never obtained a driver’s license — enlisted a ketamine enthusiast to chauffeur him across America.
—Corey Kilgannon, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2024
Depression that’s not linked to any negative news, and ketamine is helpful for getting one out of a negative frame of mind.
—William Earl, Variety, 18 Mar. 2024
Perry was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy at the time of his death; however, his most recent session had been one-and-a-half weeks before his death.
—Kevin Dolak, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Mar. 2024
Of those, 10 advertisers, spread over both months, either offered ketamine for drug addiction or ketamine via telehealth, and were not registered with LegitScript.
—Darius Tahir, CBS News, 5 Mar. 2024
Another defendant arrested at the club pleaded not guilty and awaits trial on charges of acquiring drug proceeds and possession of ketamine with intent to distribute, according to court records.
—Sebastian Rotella, ProPublica, 22 Mar. 2024
Law enforcement officers restrained the 23-year-old, and paramedics injected him with a lethal dose of ketamine.
—Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 22 Mar. 2024
Over the course of slightly more than an hour, the two men jousted over subjects ranging from the political consequences of immigration and the benefits and harms of content moderation to Musk’s symptoms of depression and his use of ketamine to alleviate them.
—David Hamilton, Quartz, 19 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'ketamine.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near ketamine
Cite this Entry
“Ketamine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ketamine. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
ketamine
noun
ke·ta·mine
ˈkēt-ə-ˌmēn
: 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share