mor·phine | \ ˈmȯr-ˌfēn 
\
\Definition of morphine
: a bitter crystalline addictive narcotic base C17H19NO3 that is the principal alkaloid of opium and is used in the form of a soluble salt (such as a hydrochloride or a sulfate) as an analgesic and sedative
Examples of morphine in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that’s up to 100 times stronger than morphine and has been responsible for a growing number of U.S. overdose deaths each year.
—
Hayley Smith, Los Angeles Times, "Mother charged with murder after 2-year-old son dies of fentanyl overdose," 6 Nov. 2020 After the horse tested positive for morphine, Baffert was summoned to Sacramento by California regulators.
—
Joe Drape, New York Times, "Bob Baffert at the Breeders’ Cup: Awash in Favorites and Suspicion," 5 Nov. 2020 An Oxford woman has been charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of her toddler after fentanyl, morphine and cocaine were found in the little boy’s blood, state police said.
—
Christine Dempsey, courant.com, "Oxford baby dies after ingesting fentanyl and morphine, mother charged with manslaughter," 15 Oct. 2020 Its potency is believed to be similar to that of fentanyl, which is 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine.
—
Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press, "Purple heroin and a new opioid drug may be Michigan's next big threat," 15 Oct. 2020 The pandemic continues to disrupt the city’s already fragile, disjointed ecosystem of services and isolate people from their communities, and fentanyl, which can be 50 to 100 times more powerful than morphine, is still flooding the market.
—
Trisha Thadani, SFChronicle.com, "S.F.’s overdose numbers are staggeringly high. They could have been even higher without Narcan," 15 Oct. 2020 Doctors and nurses now know some treatments that might help — the names of medications including remdesivir, dexamethasone and morphine are often scrawled across the glass walls of patient rooms.
—
Washington Post, "Inside a Florida hospital, coronavirus cases wane as strained staff brace for a fall surge," 7 Oct. 2020 Most nursing homes were not equipped to administer oxygen, so many residents instead received morphine to alleviate their suffering.
—
Gretchen Vogel, Science | AAAS, "‘It’s been so, so surreal.’ Critics of Sweden’s lax pandemic policies face fierce backlash," 6 Oct. 2020 Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid similar to morphine but 50 to 100 times more potent, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse.
—
Madeline Holcombe, CNN, "7 people hospitalized after car crash on Golden Gate Bridge possibly exposes them to fentanyl," 14 Sep. 2020
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'morphine.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for morphine
morphine
nounEnglish Language Learners Definition of morphine
: a powerful drug made from opium that is used to reduce pain
See the full definition for morphine in the English Language Learners Dictionary
morphine
nounmor·phine | \ ˈmȯr-ˌfēn \
\Kids Definition of morphine
: a habit-forming drug made from opium and used to relieve pain
morphine
nounmor·phine | \ ˈmȯr-ˌfēn \
\Medical Definition of morphine
: a bitter crystalline addictive narcotic base C17H19NO3 that is the principal alkaloid of opium and is used in the form of its hydrated sulfate (C17H19NO3)2·H2SO4·5H2O or hydrated hydrochloride C17H19NO3·HCl·3H2O as an analgesic and sedative
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on morphine
What made you want to look up morphine? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
A Thanksgiving Word Quiz
- November comes from a word for which of the following numbers?
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Word Games
Share morphine
Time Traveler for morphine
The first known use of morphine was in 1817
See more words from the same year