dopamine

noun

do·​pa·​mine ˈdō-pə-ˌmēn 

: a monoamine C₈H₁₁NO₂ that is a decarboxylated form of dopa and that occurs especially as a neurotransmitter in the brain

Examples of dopamine in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This can feel counterintuitive in a world where social media rewards us looking our best with the dopamine hit of likes. —Gwendolyn Bounds, TIME, 18 June 2024

Try dopamine fasting or, for a quick pick-me-up, get dopamine dressed. —Celia Ford, Vox, 22 May 2024

It is increasingly dominated by reels, short films that produce a dopamine rush that discourages reading, writing, or even thinking. —Jerry Saltz, Vulture, 9 May 2024

Even ancient reward systems in a subcortical area called the striatum, a hub of activity for the brain-signaling molecule dopamine, appear to have been reshaped in human brain evolution. —Chet C. Sherwood, Scientific American, 1 Sep. 2018

Word History

Etymology

dopa + amine

First Known Use

1959, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

dopamine

noun

do·​pa·​mine ˈdō-pə-ˌmēn 

: a monoamine C₈H₁₁NO₂ that is a decarboxylated form of dopa and occurs especially as a neurotransmitter in the brain and as an intermediate in the biosynthesis of epinephrine see intropin