as in narcotics
something that soothes, calms, or induces passivity or a sense of security
a cultural critic who argues that the Internet has now joined television as an opiate of the American people
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Recent Examples of opiates
Regardless of the reason, there are many viable options for testing for specific drugs at home, such as marijuana, opiates, cocaine, amphetamines and other drugs.
—
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
The illicit love story between the money launderer and the fentanyl trafficker working together to shower New England with deadly opiates came crashing down under the weight of a multi-year federal investigation.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
Two weeks prior, Francisco Manzo had started detoxing himself from opiates and was still experiencing symptoms of acute withdrawal syndrome and had not slept well, the attorney said.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
When Samson starts coming round in search of more of the morphine darts Kelson has been using to subdue him — not even zombies are immune to the appeal of opiates — Kelson starts treating his wounds, then joining him in his doses, then dancing with him to fragments of ’80s songs.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 Jan. 2026
But Clarke is worried about patients losing out on things like steroid injections, which help manage pain without opiates or surgery.
—Jillian Taylor, StateImpact, 16 Jan. 2026
At the dawn of the 20th century, American medicines were often laced with alcohol, opiates, or narcotics.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
ProPublica reviewed cutoff levels used to confirm the presence of common drugs, including opiates, meth, THC and cocaine, as cited in court records, labs’ contracts with government agencies and scientific journals, as well as in interviews with toxicologists.
—Lucas Waldron, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2026
According to a coroner’s report obtained by TMZ, Peterson reportedly had a deadly cocktail of prescription drugs in her system at the time of her death, including benzodiazepines, opiates and phenothiazines (an anti-psychotic medication).
—Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
The illicit love story between the money launderer and the fentanyl trafficker working together to shower New England with deadly opiates came crashing down under the weight of a multi-year federal investigation.
—Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 6 Feb. 2026
Two weeks prior, Francisco Manzo had started detoxing himself from opiates and was still experiencing symptoms of acute withdrawal syndrome and had not slept well, the attorney said.
—Caelyn Pender, Mercury News, 4 Feb. 2026
When Samson starts coming round in search of more of the morphine darts Kelson has been using to subdue him — not even zombies are immune to the appeal of opiates — Kelson starts treating his wounds, then joining him in his doses, then dancing with him to fragments of ’80s songs.
—Alison Willmore, Vulture, 17 Jan. 2026
But Clarke is worried about patients losing out on things like steroid injections, which help manage pain without opiates or surgery.
—Jillian Taylor, StateImpact, 16 Jan. 2026
At the dawn of the 20th century, American medicines were often laced with alcohol, opiates, or narcotics.
—Franklin Foer, The Atlantic, 11 Jan. 2026
ProPublica reviewed cutoff levels used to confirm the presence of common drugs, including opiates, meth, THC and cocaine, as cited in court records, labs’ contracts with government agencies and scientific journals, as well as in interviews with toxicologists.
—Lucas Waldron, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2026
According to a coroner’s report obtained by TMZ, Peterson reportedly had a deadly cocktail of prescription drugs in her system at the time of her death, including benzodiazepines, opiates and phenothiazines (an anti-psychotic medication).
—Gillian Telling, PEOPLE, 27 Dec. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for opiates
narcotics
Noun
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Agents also seized about $80,000 in cash, six firearms and additional quantities of narcotics during arrests carried out Thursday morning.—
Teresa Liu,
Daily News,
6 Mar. 2026
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Written in English and Spanish, the declaration endorses efforts to strengthen regional cooperation in combating transnational criminal organizations and narcotics trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.—
Jacqueline Charles,
Miami Herald,
5 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Opiates.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/opiates. Accessed 9 Mar. 2026.
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