chlo·ro·form
ˈklȯr-ə-ˌfȯrm
: a colorless volatile heavy toxic liquid CHCl3 with an ether odor used especially as a solvent
chloroformed; chloroforming; chloroforms
: to treat with or as if with chloroform especially so as to produce anesthesia, insensibility, or death
Examples of chloroform in a Sentence
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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
Phrases Containing chloroform
Dictionary Entries Near chloroform
Cite this Entry
“Chloroform.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/chloroform. Accessed 23 Dec. 2024.
Kids Definition
chloroform
1 of 2 noun
chlo·ro·form
ˈklōr-ə-ˌfȯrm
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-
: 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
More from Merriam-Webster on chloroform
Nglish: Translation of chloroform for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of chloroform for Arabic Speakers
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about chloroform
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