hydrocodone

noun

hy·​dro·​co·​done ˌhī-drō-ˈkō-ˌdōn 

: a habit-forming compound that is derived from codeine and is administered in the form of its bitartrate C₁₈H₂₁NO₃·C₄H₆O₆ usually in combination with other drugs (as acetaminophen) as an analgesic or cough suppressant

Examples of hydrocodone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The pharmacy’s owners were arrested in 2006 and received five years in prison each for illegally selling 10 million hydrocodone pills over the internet. —Madeleine O'Neill, Baltimore Sun, 2 Aug. 2024

The distributor McKesson entered into a $13 million settlement with the DEA in 2008 for regulatory problems, including selling 3 million hydrocodone doses to Baltimore’s Newcare pharmacy without reporting the sales as suspicious. —Madeleine O'Neill, Baltimore Sun, 2 Aug. 2024

But it is currently packaged and marketed primarily for treating opioid addiction and severe chronic pain; internists are more likely to prescribe the more dangerous hydrocodone or oxycodone. —Mark A. R. Kleiman, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017

When searching the vehicle, officers found a large bottle of dark liquor, as well as four hydrocodone and two Ambien pills hidden inside a McDonald's box. —Krista Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 9 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

hydrocodone

noun

hy·​dro·​co·​done ˌhī-drō-ˈkō-ˌdōn 

: a habit-forming compound derived from codeine and administered in the form of its bitartrate C₁₈H₂₁NO₃·C₄H₆O₆ usually in combination with other drugs (as acetaminophen) as an analgesic or cough sedative

called also dihydrocodeinone

see hycodan, vicodin