Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • noun A colorless, volatile liquid, C9H13N, used as a central nervous system stimulant in the treatment of certain conditions, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, depression, and narcolepsy, and used illegally as a stimulant.
  • noun A derivative of amphetamine, such as dextroamphetamine or a phosphate or sulfate of amphetamine.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • noun organic chemistry 1-phenyl-2-propylamine; a colourless volatile liquid; any of its derivatives.
  • noun A class of drugs used as a stimulant of the central nervous system in the treatment of ADHD, depression, and narcolepsy, and abused illegally as a stimulant.

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • noun a central nervous system stimulant that increases energy and decreases appetite; used to treat narcolepsy and some forms of depression

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[a(lpha) + m(ethyl) + ph(enyl) + et(hyl) + amine.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Shortened form of alpha-methylphenethylamine.

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Examples

  • The judge said Zakrzewski's long-term amphetamine abuse and lack of insight into his actions made him a danger to the public.

    mirror.co.uk - Home 2009

  • Malanga, a silver fox, reminisced about the "dawn patrol," what he called the amphetamine subculture: "We'd be up all night.

    artforum.com 2010

  • Recent shortages of Adderall XR and its generic equivalents, also known as amphetamine mixed salts, as well as of methylphenidate, a generic version of the brand-name drug Ritalin, have been reported in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Minnesota, Washington state and elsewhere.

    ADHD Drug Shortages Lead to Hunt for Options Peter Loftus 2011

  • He was suspended early in the season after he took something to stay awake for a long drive that included amphetamine, which is on the NFL's banned substances list.

    Boston.com Top Stories 2010

  • One batch actually contained amphetamine, which is an addictive drug.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • Shire's ability to supply the product had been limited by restrictions that the US Drug Enforcement Administration ( "DEA") places on amphetamine, which is the product's active ingredient.

    FinanzNachrichten.de: Aktuelle Nachrichten 2010

  • Shire's ability to supply the product had been limited by restrictions that the US Drug Enforcement Administration ( "DEA") places on amphetamine, which is the product's active ingredient.

    The Earth Times Online Newspaper 2010

  • One batch actually contained amphetamine, which is an addictive drug.

    Medlogs - Recent stories 2010

  • He was suspended early in the season after he took something to stay awake for a long drive that included amphetamine, which is on the NFL's banned substances list.

    Boston.com Top Stories 2010

  • Doctors prescribe Adderall, also known as amphetamine or speed, to children.

    The Daily Utah Chronicle RSS 2010

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