heroin

noun

her·​o·​in ˈher-ə-wən 

ˈhe-rə-

: a strongly physiologically addictive narcotic C₂₁H₂₃NO₅ that is made by acetylation of but is more potent than morphine and that is prohibited for medical use in the U.S. but is used illicitly for its euphoric effects

heroinism

ˈher-ə-wə-ˌni-zəm 

ˈhe-rə-

noun

Examples of heroin in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The scourge of heroin use by Black Americans in cities like New York in the 1970s sparked Richard Nixon’s War of Drugs. —Steve Bloom, HollywoodReporter, 24 June 2025

Detectives working undercover said that Hayes was selling heroin laced with fentanyl and crack cocaine. —Clifford Ward, Chicago Tribune, 20 June 2025

In the 1990s, heroin chic surged in popularity as women flooded law schools, boardrooms, and newsrooms in record numbers — a visual counterpunch to female ambition. —Anne Marie Chaker, Time, 18 June 2025

Seized in Operation Showdown were 287 firearms and 22 kilograms of cocaine, methamphetamine, heroin and fentanyl. —Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 18 June 2025

Word History

Etymology

from Heroin, a trademark

First Known Use

1898, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for heroin

• heroine

Kids Definition

heroin

noun

her·​o·​in ˈher-ə-wən 

: a strongly addictive drug made from the opium poppy and stronger than morphine

Medical Definition

heroin

noun

her·​o·​in ˈher-ə-wən 

: a strongly physiologically addictive narcotic C₂₁H₂₃NO₅ that is made by acetylation of but is more potent than morphine and that is prohibited for medical use in the United States but is used illicitly for its euphoric effects

called also acetomorphine, diacetylmorphine, diamorphine