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PCP

PCP

22 9.9
A strong illegal drug that makes people see things and act violently
  • noun
  • /ˌpiːsiːˈpiː/
  • NSFW
translation icon : fenciclidina
  • You were negative for PCP.

But chemically and physiologically, PCP is ever so similar to ketamine.

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Examples

  • You know, PCP makes people very aggressive and they don't feel a lot of pain.

  • It's PCP.

  • As such, the data offer limited support for the notion that PCP "causes" youth to become violent.

    Academic text (2009)
  • It is remarkably similar to the drug called PCP, which is certainly a hazardous drug for people to use.

  • PCP users can shrug off all sorts of physical trauma.

  • But chemically and physiologically, PCP is ever so similar to ketamine.

  • Two (13%) participants reported smoking "wet" (marijuana and PCP phencyclidine) regularly and using cocaine periodically.

    Academic text (2013)
  • You know, that's why we make a distinction between softer drugs like marijuana and harder drugs like crystal meth or heroin or, you know, PCP or things like that.

  • An autopsy found that PCP was in the teenager's system at the time of death.

  • You know, PCP makes people very aggressive and they don't feel a lot of pain.

Synonyms

angel dust
vsPCP
  • NSFW
2 9.9

An illegal drug that makes you see or hear things that are not real

is the neutral medical abbreviation rather than a slang label
hallucinogenic drug
vsPCP
  • NSFW
1 6.1

A substance that makes you see or hear things that are not real

is one specific medical and illicit drug within that broader class
phencyclidine
vsPCP
  • NSFW
1 9.9

A strong illegal drug that makes people have dangerous hallucinations and was used to put animals to sleep

is the shorter spoken and written form used in everyday language

A man-made drug used by vets to put animals to sleep and sometimes used illegally to cause hallucinations

is the common abbreviated name used instead of the formal chemical name

Surface Forms

PCP singular
PCPs plural

Etymology

PCP is short for phencyclidine, the full chemical name for a powerful lab-made drug. The name is built from parts like phen- ('ring') and cycl- ('circle'), which is a helpful image to remember that it is a man-made chemical with ring shapes, and that's why PCP refers to a strong anesthetic that can cause severe hallucinations when misused.