heroin

IPA/ˈherəʊɪn/
KK[hˈɛroən]IPA/ˈherəʊɪn/

heroin — noun

1. A banned drug prepared from morphine and taken for a short, intense high, often

1.nounB2
Definition

A banned drug prepared from morphine and taken for a short, intense high, often leading to serious addiction.

Example

Police found packets of heroin under the seat during a traffic stop.

collocation: packets of heroin

After years of heroin use, Lucia entered a treatment program near Valencia.

collocation: heroin use

Common collocations
  • heroin addiction
  • heroin overdose
  • heroin withdrawal
  • heroin use
  • inject heroin
  • take heroin
  • buy heroin
  • be hooked on heroin
Synonyms
  • opioid

    a broad class of drugs; heroin is one illegal opioid rather than the whole category

  • morphine

    a related opioid used in medicine; heroin is the illegal, faster-acting form made from it

  • fentanyl

    a different synthetic opioid that is much stronger and often prescribed in controlled medical settings

  • smack

    an informal slang word for heroin, common in casual speech but not in formal writing

Grammar Patterns

heroin + noun (heroin addiction, heroin overdose)

use/take + heroin

on + heroin

Usage Note

Heroin is an uncountable noun, so English normally uses it without an article. It often appears in patterns such as heroin addiction, heroin overdose, and be hooked on heroin.

Common Mistakes

He was arrested with two heroins in his bag.
He was arrested with heroin in his bag.
heroin is uncountable, so it does not normally have a plural form.
The novel follows a brave heroin who saves her village.
The novel follows a brave heroine who saves her village.
heroine means a female hero; heroin is the drug.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Heroin is one specific illegal opioid drug. Opioid is the broad medical category, so it can include heroin, morphine, fentanyl, and many other substances. Morphine is the closest relative: both come from the same chemical family, but morphine is mainly discussed as a hospital pain medicine, while heroin usually refers to illegal street use. Fentanyl is another opioid, but it is much stronger and is often mentioned in modern overdose warnings. Cocaine is not an opioid at all, so it belongs in a different drug family even though both drugs are illegal and addictive. A news report might mention heroin trafficking, while a hospital chart is more likely to mention morphine or fentanyl.

opioid ↗morphine ↗fentanyl ↗cocaine ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • be addicted to heroin
  • be hooked on heroin
  • inject heroin

Prepositions

Etymology

GermanEnglish

English borrowed heroin from German Heroin in the late 19th century. The German form was built from heroisch, meaning "heroic" or "powerful," plus a common chemical ending, because the drug was first promoted as having especially strong effects.