methamphetamine

meth·am·phet·amine | \ ˌme-tham-ˈfe-tə-ˌmēn

, -thəm-, -mən \

Definition of methamphetamine

: a synthetic or semisynthetic compound C₁₀H₁₅N that stimulates the central nervous system, is used medically in the form of its crystalline hydrochloride C₁₀H₁₅N·HCl especially to treat attention deficit disorder and obesity, and that is often abused illicitly for its stimulant properties … methamphetamine is a powerful addictive stimulant whose longtime consumers tend to suffer from paranoia, depression, hallucinations, and violent rages.— William Finnegan

— called also meth, methedrine, speed

— compare crystal meth

Examples of methamphetamine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web After paramedics took the man to Southwest, police found methamphetamine, a pocket knife and brass knuckles in his car. — Bob Sandrick, cleveland, "Berea man arrested in connection to attempted rape; organizers of Black Lives Matter vigil harassed: Berea police blotter," 3 July 2020 It is believed the driver was under the influence of methamphetamine, Wade said. — William Thornton | Wthornton@al.com, al, "Man crashes truck into Oxford store, shoots 1, sheriff says," 28 June 2020 In recent decades, production has largely switched to synthetic drugs such as methamphetamine, and now increasingly to synthetic opioids such as fentanyl. — Washington Post, "Myanmar destroys seized drugs worth more than $800 million," 26 June 2020 Producers in some places are out of precursor ingredients needed to make some drugs due to supply chain issues, which has led prices for some drugs, such as methamphetamine, to increase in the United States. — Anna Giaritelli, Washington Examiner, "Pandemic to heighten global drug use already up 30% over past decade: UN," 25 June 2020 The prison’s medical director, Dr. Randy Lavespere, served a federal prison sentence for buying $8,000 worth of methamphetamine in a Home Depot parking lot. — Tim Golden, ProPublica, "Inside the U.S.’s Largest Maximum-Security Prison, COVID-19 Raged. Outside, Officials Called Their Fight a Success.," 24 June 2020 Higgins' post-mortem showed 620 nanograms per milliliter of methamphetamine in his blood. — Bob Ortega, Nelli Black And Drew Griffin, CNN, "Videos raise question about in-custody death deemed an 'accident' by Tennessee officials," 12 June 2020 Officers suspected the man was under the influence of methamphetamine, the documents say, but did not search the vehicle due to concerns of coronavirus contamination. — Ethan May, The Indianapolis Star, "Final tally of people in Central Indiana charged with violating stay-at-home order," 19 June 2020 Two inmates also have been sentenced in the plot to bring two ounces of methamphetamine into the prison. — Lawrence Specker | Lspecker@al.com, al, "Former prison officer sentenced for methamphetamine buy," 16 June 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'methamphetamine.' 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

8 Jul 2020

Cite this Entry

“Methamphetamine.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/methamphetamine. Accessed 10 Jul. 2020.

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methamphetamine

noun

meth·am·phet·amine | \ ˌmeth-am-ˈfet-ə-ˌmēn, ˌmeth-əm-, -mən

\

Medical Definition of methamphetamine

: an amine C₁₀H₁₅N that is used medically in the form of its crystalline hydrochloride C₁₀H₁₅N·HCl especially to treat attention deficit disorder and obesity and that is often abused illicitly as a stimulant

— called also meth, methedrine, methylamphetamine, speed