narcotic

noun

nar·cot·ic | \ när-ˈkä-tik

Definition of narcotic

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a drug (such as opium or morphine) that in moderate doses dulls the senses, relieves pain, and induces profound sleep but in excessive doses causes stupor, coma, or convulsions

b : a drug (such as marijuana or LSD) subject to restriction similar to that of addictive narcotics whether physiologically (see physiological) addictive and narcotic or not

2 : something that soothes, relieves, or lulls a public comforted by the narcotic of military supremacy

narcotic

adjective

Definition of narcotic (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : having the properties of or yielding a narcotic

b : inducing mental lethargy

2 : of, induced by, or concerned with narcotics

3 : of, involving, or intended for narcotic addicts

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Examples of narcotic in a Sentence

Noun

an irradicable sense of self-righteousness seems to be the narcotic that inures these religious fanatics from any realization of the harm they have done

Adjective

some therapists believe that certain scents can have a narcotic effect on people the lecturer droned on in a narcotic monotone that eventually had the entire class struggling to stay awake

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Police seized two guns; about 150 grams, or 5.3 ounces, of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid; about 20 grams, or 0.7 of an ounce, of crack cocaine, and other narcotics, said Thomas Carson of the U.S. Attorney’s office. — Christine Dempsey, courant.com, "Police: Two More Wanted Felons Nabbed In Hartford, Enfield, After Gang Roundup," 6 July 2018 Instead, investigators allege the little girl’s brother had been left alone in the presence of illicit narcotics. — Chris Harris, PEOPLE.com, "4-Year-Old Dies in Car Fire Ignited by Space Heater — and Her Parents Face Charges," 24 May 2018 Police approached the male driver, who showed signs of being impaired on narcotics, according to the report. — Bob Dohr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Motorist arrested at gunpoint in Oak Creek after fleeing from officers following traffic stop," 16 Mar. 2018 Casnave was arrested and booked on narcotics and weapon charges. — Kim Chatelain, NOLA.com, "St. Tammany teacher, 2 Mandeville teens among 7 accused in Lacombe drug case," 26 Feb. 2018 With an ample supply of diacetyl morphine - the heroin equivalent - and other narcotics on the premises, the clinic is a cross between a medical facility and a bank. — Anchorage Daily News, "At the heart of Canada's fentanyl crisis, extreme efforts that US cities may follow," 12 Feb. 2018 Authorities found another package of heroin inside the home alongside other narcotics. — Thomas Novelly, The Courier-Journal, "Louisville parents accused of storing heroin in their children's bedroom," 3 Jan. 2018 Among those charged in this year’s operation were 120 accused of crimes tied to abuse of prescription opioids and other narcotics, the officials said. — Del Quentin Wilber, WSJ, "U.S. Charges More Than 400 With Committing Health Care Fraud," 13 July 2017 Davis plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years. — Cyrus Farivar, Ars Technica, "Silk Road admin could face up to 20 years after pleading guilty to drug charge," 5 Oct. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

She was charged with operating a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, possession of marijuana and possession of narcotic paraphernalia. — Detroit Free Press Staff, Detroit Free Press, "Warren woman crashes truck doing donuts in Macy's parking lot," 2 Jan. 2018 Drug abuse, Broadview Road: During a March 9 traffic stop, police discovered a Cleveland woman was in possession of a felony narcotic. — John Benson, cleveland.com, "Cleveland shoplifters attempt to elude police: Parma Police Blotter," 15 Mar. 2018 The Drug Enforcement Administration must also soon stop classifying marijuana as a Schedule 1 narcotic, the same category as heroin. — John Boehner, WSJ, "Washington Needs to Legalize Cannabis," 4 Nov. 2018 He was convicted in 2003 of trafficking cocaine, possession with intent to deliver, delivery of a narcotic, reckless endangering and resisting arrest. — Fox News, "Paraplegic man killed by police; father faces drug charges," 29 Aug. 2018 One of the doctors, Dante Cubangbang, 50 years old of Nassau County, is accused of selling more than 6 million oxycodone pills from a Queens medical center since January 2012, the most prescriptions of the narcotic in the state, Mr. Berman said. — Zolan Kanno-youngs, WSJ, "‘Drug Dealers in White Coats’," 11 Oct. 2018 The romanticism of driving into the sunset was too powerful a narcotic to ignore—and promised the sort of never-look-back escape that fueled office drones for generations to come. — Ashlea Halpern, Condé Nast Traveler, "Long Live Route 66," 19 July 2018 After he was taken to a hospital, a drug recognition expert concluded that Gasper was under the influence of a narcotic. — Elliot Hughes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Pewaukee man admits driving after taking morphine, gets charged with 9th OWI," 29 June 2018 According to an Interpol notice, Santrich met with cocaine buyers at his residence on Nov. 2, 2017 — a day after one of his co-conspirators delivered a 5-kilogram sample of the narcotic to them at a hotel lobby in Bogota. — Joshua Goodman, Fox News, "Colombia jails ex-rebel on US drug warrant in blow to peace," 10 Apr. 2018

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

28 Jan 2019

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Time Traveler for narcotic

The first known use of narcotic was in the 14th century

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More Definitions for narcotic

narcotic

noun

English Language Learners Definition of narcotic

: a drug (such as cocaine, heroin, or marijuana) that affects the brain and that is usually dangerous and illegal

medical : a drug that is given to people in small amounts to make them sleep or feel less pain

See the full definition for narcotic in the English Language Learners Dictionary

narcotic

noun

nar·cot·ic | \ när-ˈkä-tik

Kids Definition of narcotic

(Entry 1 of 2)

: a drug that in small doses dulls the senses, relieves pain, and brings on sleep but in larger doses has dangerous effects, that includes some (as morphine) that are used in medicine and others (as heroin) that are used illegally, and that often causes addiction

narcotic

adjective

Kids Definition of narcotic (Entry 2 of 2)

: of, relating to, or being a narcotic narcotic drugs narcotic laws

narcotic

noun

nar·cot·ic | \ när-ˈkät-ik

Medical Definition of narcotic

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a drug (as codeine, methadone, or morphine) that in moderate doses dulls the senses, relieves pain, and induces profound sleep but in excessive doses causes stupor, coma, or convulsions

2 : a drug (as marijuana or LSD) subject to restriction similar to that of addictive narcotics whether in fact physiologically addictive and narcotic or not