Freebase
noun, verb ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The purified, dry form of an amine, especially an alkaloid natural product, that is normally used in solution. countable, uncountable
"The freebase is heated in a retort, foil, or other container and the vapor is inhaled as the freebase vaporizes."
- 2 The purified, dry form of certain illegal drugs, especially cocaine. countable, specifically, uncountable
"That day, I gave a class on making and using freebase. This was one thing that was to be done perfectly, or you could end up with glass and freebase all over you."
- 1 To purify a drug by crystallization.
- 2 To use a purified drug, especially cocaine, by heating it and inhaling the fumes produced.
"Richard, one of my friends in L.A., claimed to have invented freebasing— smoking cocaine in its base form—though it's likely that what he meant was that he introduced a whole bunch of people to the process."
Example
More examples"The freebase is heated in a retort, foil, or other container and the vapor is inhaled as the freebase vaporizes."
Etymology
From free + base.
More for "freebase"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.