naloxone

[ nuh-lok-sohn, nal-uhk-sohn ]

/ nəˈlɒk soʊn, ˈnæl əkˌsoʊn /

Save This Word!

noun Pharmacology.

an opioid antagonist, C19H21NO4, used to reverse the acute respiratory depression that occurs with opioid overdose.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of naloxone

First recorded in 1960–65; by shortening and rearrangement of dihydroxy-, morphinan-, and -one, components of its chemical name

Words nearby naloxone

NALGO, nalidixic acid, Nalline, nalmefene, nalorphine, naloxone, naltrexone, Nam, Nama, namable, Namangan

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use naloxone in a sentence

There are several other approaches available, like providing the opioid overdose antidote naloxone, supervised consumption sites, and giving heroin to treatment-resistant patients.
The opioid epidemic isn’t unsolvable|German Lopez|July 23, 2021|Vox
Users were more isolated, leading to additional overdoses because other people were not nearby to summon first responders or administer the opioid antidote naloxone, experts said.
Drug overdose deaths soared to a record 93,000 last year|Lenny Bernstein, Joel Achenbach|July 14, 2021|Washington Post
They also hand out naloxone, the drug known by its brand name Narcan that is used to treat overdoses and prevent fatalities.
Fatal opioid overdoses are up by the hundreds, devastating families and worrying officials|Dan Rosenzweig-Ziff, Jasmine Hilton|July 8, 2021|Washington Post
On Friday morning, county Public Health Officer Wilma Wooten is set to sign an order allowing lifesaving overdose reversal drug naloxone to be distributed throughout the county without prescriptions.
Morning Report: Fentanyl Deaths Are Skyrocketing|Voice of San Diego|May 21, 2021|Voice of San Diego

Homeless-serving nonprofit Father Joe’s Villages also reports that security guards who patrol around its facilities intervened in 41 overdose incidents last year, reviving all they aided with naloxone.
Officials Scramble to Address Skyrocketing Fentanyl Deaths|Lisa Halverstadt|May 20, 2021|Voice of San Diego
The second is naloxone, the antagonist, meaning that it stops the action of other opiates, like heroin.
This Anti-Heroin Drug Is Now King of the Jailhouse Drug Trade|Daniel Genis|July 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This can include making anti-addiction drug buprenorphine available to them, as well as anti-overdose medication naloxone.
Legal, Regulated Heroin Could Have Saved Philip Seymour Hoffman|Valerie Vande Panne|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In other circumstances, naloxone (also known as Narcan) might work.
Legal, Regulated Heroin Could Have Saved Philip Seymour Hoffman|Valerie Vande Panne|February 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Other laws have been put in place to allow for prescription of a take-home “antidote” called naloxone to known users.
Heroin: America’s Silent Assassin|Dr. Anand Veeravagu, MD, Robert M. Lober, MD, PhD|February 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One such drug is naloxone, which can be used to reverse any type of opiate overdose (heroin is an opiate).
When Rehab Doesn’t Work|Lizzie Crocker|July 18, 2013|DAILY BEAST

British Dictionary definitions for naloxone

naloxone

/ (nəˈlɒksəʊn) /

noun

a chemical substance that counteracts the effects of opiates by binding to opiate receptors on cells

Word Origin for naloxone

C20: from N-al (lylnor) ox (ymorph) one, the chemical name

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012