adrenaline
noun
Note: Adrenaline is used in both technical and nontechnical contexts. It is commonly used in describing the physiological symptoms (such as increased heart rate and respiration) that occur as part of the body's fight-or-flight response to stress, as when someone is in a dangerous, frightening, or highly competitive situation, as well as the feelings of heightened energy, excitement, strength, and alertness associated with those symptoms. In figurative use, it suggests a drug that provides something with a jolt of useful energy and stimulation.
W. P. KinsellaLance ArmstrongTown and CountryExamples of adrenaline in a Sentence
Patrick Mooney, New York Times, 10 July 2025
For Scott Jordan, the real adrenaline hits in the two minutes leading up to the Kentucky Derby.
—Ray Padilla, The Courier-Journal, 2 July 2025
The trips, run among the pines and peaks of Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, and Colorado, fulfill participants’ adrenaline needs with adventures like rock climbing and whitewater rafting.
—Stephanie Vermillion, Outside Online, 1 July 2025
Veteran screenwriter and the scribe behind the original Jurassic Park, David Koepp, is an expert at juggling dueling plot lines, and he’s brought back a lot of the monster-movie vibe that made the first movie such an old-school adrenaline rush.
—David Fear, Rolling Stone, 30 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for adrenaline
Cite this Entry
“Adrenaline.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adrenaline. Accessed 22 Jul. 2025.
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adrenaline
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adrenaline
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