Meaning & use
oxycodone
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablemedical
A strong opioid medicine taken to relieve moderate to severe pain, which can lead to dependence if misused.
Grammar: Used without an article for the drug: she was prescribed oxycodone.
Patterns
- prescribe oxycodone for something
- addicted to oxycodone
The surgeon prescribed oxycodone for a few days after the operation.
Oxycodone can cause drowsiness, so he did not drive.
Doctors now prescribe oxycodone more carefully than they once did.
Common combinations
- prescribe oxycodone
- Doctors may prescribe oxycodone for severe injuries.
- addicted to oxycodone
- He became addicted to oxycodone after a back operation.
- an oxycodone prescription
- She picked up her oxycodone prescription at the pharmacy.
- oxycodone overdose
- The report described a rise in oxycodone overdoses.
Synonyms and how they differ
- opioid
- Opioid is the wider drug class that includes oxycodone, morphine and others.
- painkiller
- Painkiller is a general everyday word for any pain medicine, many far milder than oxycodone.
- morphine
- Morphine is a different opioid, often used in hospitals, while oxycodone is commonly taken in tablets.
Word family
- opioid noun
- a drug acting like opium to ease pain
- opiate noun
- a drug made from the opium poppy
- codeine noun
- a milder opioid painkiller
Commonly confused: oxycodone or oxytocin?
oxycodone vs oxytocin
Oxytocin is a body hormone linked to bonding and childbirth, not a painkiller; the names look alike.
Practice
What is oxycodone mainly used for?
Choose one answer.
Oxycodone is an opioid painkiller for moderate to severe pain. It does not kill bacteria, as an antibiotic would.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “oxycodone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.