opiate

noun

opi·ate | \ˈō-pē-ət,

-ˌāt\

Definition of opiate

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : a drug (such as morphine or codeine) containing or derived from opium and tending to induce sleep and alleviate pain broadly : narcotic sense 1a

b : opioid sense 1

2 : something that induces rest or inaction or quiets uneasiness regarded television as an opiate

opiate

adjective

Definition of opiate (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : containing or mixed with opium

b : of, relating to, binding, or being an opiate opiate receptors

2a : inducing sleep : narcotic

b : causing dullness or inaction

Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about opiate

Keep scrolling for more

Synonyms & Antonyms for opiate

Synonyms: Noun

narcotic

Synonyms: Adjective

drowsy, hypnotic, narcotic, slumberous (or slumbrous), somnolent, soporific

Antonyms: Adjective

stimulant

Examples of opiate in a Sentence

Noun

Many see television as an opiate of the masses. a cultural critic who argues that the Internet has now joined television as an opiate of the American people

Adjective

morphine is an opiate drug

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

But opiates, swiped from a friend’s parents’ medicine cabinet, quelled her restlessness and anxiety in ways that her A.D.H.D. medications did not. — New York Times, "She Went to Jail for a Drug Relapse. Tough Love or Too Harsh?," 4 June 2018 Now, a study of of a major metropolitan area is following suit, showing that national data of the opiate crisis is supported by smaller samples within a state. — Brittany Shoot, Fortune, "Fentanyl Is Causing Almost Half of All Overdose Deaths, Research Shows," 2 July 2018 Overdose, Fulham Drive: A man reported Jan. 23 his daughter, 28, was unresponsive and had possibly overdosed on opiates. — Andy Attina / Cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "Woman out $9,500 in computer repair scam: Mayfield Heights Police Blotter," 7 Feb. 2018 Rannazzisi, a former DEA official who has charged the pharmaceutical industry with culpability in the opiate epidemic, was the keynote speaker for the 14th annual symposium. — Staff Report, The Aegis, "Harford holds annual drug prevention and treament symposium," 21 June 2018 According to the lawsuit, at least 18 people died of overdoses in Whatcom County in 2016, a year the jail saw at least 253 prisoners self-report as abusers of heroin and other opiates. — Gene Johnson, The Seattle Times, "Lawsuit: Washington jail must provide addiction treatment," 7 June 2018 This year hospitals are struggling to get injectable opiates, which hospitals and hospices use to manage the pain of serious injury, surgery, and terminal disease. — Erika Fry, Fortune, "Critical Condition: Inside Pfizer’s Drug Supply Problem," 22 May 2018 The report showed hospital officials were prescribing high amounts of opiate pain pills to patients. — Bill Glauber, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "GOP U.S. Senate candidate Kevin Nicholson focuses on demand-side of opioid crisis," 3 July 2018 The hardest-core opiate user still wants to be accurate. — Monica Rodriguez, Fortune, "Why Retailers Are Installing Blue Lights In Bathrooms to Discourage Drug Use," 25 June 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

To this administration, opiate addiction isn’t primarily about demand — about treating addicts and saving lives. — Yvonne Abraham, BostonGlobe.com, "The truth about Lawrence," 14 July 2018 The Nebraska State Patrol seized 118 pounds of fentanyl in April, making it the largest seizure of the opiate drug in the state's history. — Joel Shannon, USA TODAY, "Near a Nebraska town, cops seize enough opioids to kill over 26 million," 26 May 2018 The Obama Foundation Fellowship selected Kang to keep up his civic engagement by building a comprehensive continuum of care for those with opiate addiction. — Terry Demio, Cincinnati.com, "'There is hope.' Mercy Health psychologist gets Obama fellowship for addiction work," 24 Apr. 2018 Doctors often treat that condition with opiate medication, despite little evidence that opiates are actually effective for it. — Christopher Ingraham, chicagotribune.com, "Two new studies show how marijuana can help fight the opioid epidemic," 2 Apr. 2018 The study was co-funded by Intelligent Fingerprinting, which makes a drug test that uses the sweat from fingerprints to test for cocaine, cannabis, and opiate use. — Emily Price, Fortune, "You May Have Traces of Cocaine or Heroin on Your Fingertips Right Now," 22 Mar. 2018 More problematic is that some clinics, like Zong’s, offer a mix of services — treatment for both opiate addiction and pain. — Brian Rinker, Washington Post, "A Battered Doctor, A Slain Patient And A Family’s Quest For Answers," 13 Mar. 2018 Opioid and opiate drugs bind to and activate opioid receptors in your brain, gut, and spinal cord. — Tessie Castillo, SELF, "Here Are the Medications You Should Never Mix With Opioids," 6 Mar. 2018 Kirsch's announcement to designate someone to deal with opioid and opiate crimes came a day after charges were unsealed against a doctor at a Munster medical practice who allegedly over-prescribed painkillers to an undercover individual. — Craig Lyons, Post-Tribune, "Federal prosecutor named to focus on opioid crimes in Northwest Indiana," 23 Jan. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'opiate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about opiate

Dictionary Entries near opiate

Statistics for opiate

Last Updated

11 Oct 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for opiate

The first known use of opiate was in the 15th century

See more words from the same century

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for opiate

opiate

noun

English Language Learners Definition of opiate

: a drug (such as morphine or codeine) that is made from opium and that is used to reduce pain or cause sleep

: something that causes people to ignore problems and to relax instead of doing things that need to be done

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

opiate

noun

opi·ate | \ˈō-pē-ət,

-ˌāt

Medical Definition of opiate

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : a drug (as morphine, heroin, and codeine) containing or derived from opium and tending to induce sleep and to alleviate pain broadly : narcotic sense 1