barbiturate
noun
bar·bi·tu·rate
| \ bär-ˈbi-chə-rət
, -ˌrāt; ˌbär-bə-ˈtyu̇r-ət, -ˈtu̇r-, -ˌāt; nonstandard bär-ˈbi-chə-wət\
, -ˌrāt; ˌbär-bə-ˈtyu̇r-ət, -ˈtu̇r-, -ˌāt; nonstandard bär-ˈbi-chə-wət\
Definition of barbiturate
1
: a salt or ester of barbituric acid
2
: any of various derivatives of barbituric acid (such as phenobarbital) that are used especially as sedatives, hypnotics, and antispasmodics and are often addictive
Examples of barbiturate in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The Wizard of Oz star died in London in 1969 of an accidental barbiturate overdose just months after the tour ended. — Helen Murphy, PEOPLE.com, "Sam Smith and Renée Zellweger Duet on New Song for Judy Garland Biopic Judy," 28 Aug. 2019 The Wizard of Oz star died in London in 1969 of an accidental barbiturate overdose just months after the tour ended. — Rachel Desantis, PEOPLE.com, "Renée Zellweger's Judy Garland Cries Over Kids, Sings 'The Trolley Song' in New Judy Trailer," 8 July 2019 Many states have used the drug—a barbiturate—in their executions, but there have been problems with supplying it, as pharmaceutical companies refuse to provide it for lethal injections on ethical grounds. — Hanna Kozlowska, Quartz, "The federal government schedules 5 executions after bringing back the death penalty," 25 July 2019 Nutt et al's expert panels rated barbiturates as the fourth most addictive substance. — Eric Bowman, CNN, "The five most addictive substances in the world," 23 Jan. 2019 Like many performers at the time, Elvis was a heavy user of a number of prescription medications including opiates, barbiturates, and sedatives. — Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, "Inside the Enduring Mysteries of Elvis Presley's Death," 16 Mar. 2019 The state says drug makers stopped selling that barbiturate for lethal injections. — Fox News, "Tennessee executes its first inmate in nearly a decade," 9 Aug. 2018 The toxicological analysis determined the cause of death: acute barbiturate poisoning. — Maude Campbell, Popular Mechanics, "The Complete History of the Autopsy," 26 Dec. 2018 While 31 states have the death penalty, more than half of executions in the U.S. this year were carried out by Texas, whose single-drug protocol uses a lethal dose of the barbiturate pentobarbital. — Jacob Gershman, WSJ, "Nebraska Set to Use Drug Cocktail That Includes Fentanyl in Execution Tuesday," 13 Aug. 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'barbiturate.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for barbiturate
barbiturate
noun
English Language Learners Definition of barbiturate
medical
: any of various drugs that are used to calm people or to make them sleep
See the full definition for barbiturate in the English Language Learners Dictionary
barbiturate
noun
bar·bi·tu·rate
| \ bär-ˈbich-ə-rət
, -ˌrāt; ˌbär-bə-ˈt(y)u̇r-ət
, -ˈt(y)u̇(ə)r-ˌāt\
, -ˌrāt; ˌbär-bə-ˈt(y)u̇r-ət
, -ˈt(y)u̇(ə)r-ˌāt\
Medical Definition of barbiturate
1
: a salt or ester of barbituric acid
2
: any of various derivatives of barbituric acid (as phenobarbital) that are used especially as sedatives, hypnotics, and antispasmodics and are often addictive
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