Advertisement - Continue reading below

Definition of "stimulant" [stim•u•lant]

  • An agent, especially a chemical agent such as caffeine, that temporarily arouses or accelerates physiological or organic activity. (noun)
  • A stimulus or an incentive: "An age of political excitement is usually a stimulant to literature” ( Will Durant). (noun)
  • A food or drink, especially an alcoholic drink, believed to have a stimulating effect. (noun)
  • Serving as or being a stimulus; stimulating. (adjective)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "stimulant" in a sentence
  • "We take a solution of what we call a stimulant and immerse the bioplasm in it, and we find that it increases its activity, moves faster, takes up more pabulum, and divides more rapidly than in the unstimulated condition."
  • "But the eye-opening stimulant is found in lots of other beverages, and even some food and medications."
  • "In similar ways to stimulant drugs such as amphetamine, clenbuterol can have short-term stimulant effects, including increasing aerobic capacity, blood pressure and alertness."