chloroform

1 of 2

noun

chlo·​ro·​form ˈklȯr-ə-ˌfȯrm How to pronounce chloroform (audio)
: a colorless volatile heavy toxic liquid CHCl3 with an ether odor used especially as a solvent

chloroform

2 of 2

verb

chloroformed; chloroforming; chloroforms

transitive verb

: to treat with or as if with chloroform especially so as to produce anesthesia, insensibility, or death

Examples of chloroform in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Noun
One night, Celine chloroforms both Alice and Simon and stages a gas leak to make their deaths appear like an accident. Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY, 29 July 2024 Probes into Casey’s cell phone, computer and vehicle resulted in several damaging findings, including internet searches for chloroform and neck-breaking, as well as traces of chloroform and human decomposition in the trunk of her car. Lynsey Eidell, Peoplemag, 5 Jan. 2024
Verb
But elsewhere in the cosmos, life might be built from different chemicals that dissolve and assemble in some other liquid: perhaps methane, kerosene, or even chloroform. Kiona N. Smith, Discover Magazine, 26 June 2019 Donor insemination continued largely underground, sans chloroform, until the 1950s. Caitlin Harrington, Wired, 30 July 2020 See all Example Sentences for chloroform 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

French chloroforme, from chlor- + formyle formyl; from its having been regarded as a trichloride of this group

First Known Use

Noun

1838, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1848, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of chloroform was in 1838

Dictionary Entries Near chloroform

Cite this Entry

“Chloroform.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chloroform. Accessed 23 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

chloroform

1 of 2 noun
chlo·​ro·​form ˈklōr-ə-ˌfȯrm How to pronounce chloroform (audio)
ˈklȯr-
: a colorless heavy poisonous liquid that smells like ether and is used especially to dissolve other compounds

chloroform

2 of 2 verb
: to treat with chloroform especially so as to produce anesthesia or death

Medical Definition

chloroform

1 of 2 noun
chlo·​ro·​form ˈklōr-ə-ˌfȯrm, ˈklȯr- How to pronounce chloroform (audio)
: a colorless volatile heavy toxic liquid CHCl3 with an ether odor used especially as a solvent

called also trichloromethane

chloroform

2 of 2 transitive verb
: to treat with chloroform especially so as to produce anesthesia or death

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