Meaning & use
stimulant
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Meanings
nouncountablemedical
A drug, chemical, or other substance that temporarily raises alertness, energy, or activity in the body or mind.
Grammar: Often countable for a specific substance: caffeine is a stimulant; the plural stimulants is common.
Patterns
- powerful stimulant
- prescription stimulant
- avoid stimulants
Caffeine is a mild stimulant found in coffee and tea.
The label warns against mixing the medicine with other stimulants.
Some prescription stimulants are misused to stay awake.
nouncountablefigurativebusiness
Something that encourages activity, interest, or growth in a person, group, or economy.
Grammar: A figurative countable use: a stimulant to discussion or demand.
Patterns
- stimulant to something
- economic stimulant
- stimulant for demand
The prize acted as a stimulant to classroom debate.
Lower interest rates can be a stimulant for investment.
Fear of failure became an unexpected stimulant for her training.
Word forms
| plural | stimulants |
|---|
Common combinations
- mild stimulant
- Tea is a mild stimulant compared with strong coffee.
- prescription stimulant
- A prescription stimulant should be used only under medical supervision.
- stimulant to demand
- The grant worked as a stimulant to demand for local produce.
Synonyms and how they differ
- upper
- Upper is informal slang for a stimulant drug; stimulant is neutral and can be figurative.
- energizer
- Energizer suggests restoring energy in a general way, while stimulant points to a substance or force that increases activity.
- incentive
- Incentive motivates a choice or effort; a stimulant figuratively speeds up activity or demand.
Opposites
Word family
- stimulate verb
- To make something more active or interested.
- stimulation noun
- The act or result of increasing activity or interest.
- stimulating adjective
- Making someone feel more alert or interested.
Commonly confused: stimulant or stimulus?
stimulant vs stimulus
Stimulus is the singular of stimuli, meaning something that causes a response; stimulant usually means a substance that increases activity.
Practice
Which is the best example of a stimulant in the medical sense?
Choose one answer.
Caffeine temporarily increases alertness, so it is a common stimulant. A sleeping pill is more like a depressant or sedative, and a blanket or water does not fit the core meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “stimulant”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.