narcotic
noun/nɑːˈkɒtɪk/
/nɑːrˈkɑːtɪk/
- (formal) a powerful illegal drug that affects the mind in a harmful way. Heroin and cocaine are narcotics.
- a narcotics agent (= a police officer investigating the illegal trade in drugs)
Extra ExamplesTopics Social issuesc2- He has been arrested for trading in narcotics.
- Narcotics trafficking represents 30 to 50 per cent of organized crime's take.
- The main reason people abuse illegal narcotics is so they may ‘escape’ from their harsh, cruel reality.
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- mild
- powerful
- addictive
- …
- use
- agent
- detective
- officer
- …
- (medical) a substance that relaxes you, reduces pain or makes you sleep
- a mild narcotic
Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective- mild
- powerful
- addictive
- …
- use
- agent
- detective
- officer
- …
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French narcotique, via medieval Latin from Greek narkōtikos, from narkoun ‘make numb’.
Check pronunciation:
narcotic