How to Use oxytocin in a Sentence

oxytocin

noun
Definition of oxytocinnext
  • For breast milk to be released, there need to be a release of oxytocin, Sargeant says.
    — Amy Haneline, USA TODAY, 6 June 2019
  • In fact, science has shown that love and fear are both ruled by the same hormone, oxytocin.
    — Marisa Lascala, Good Housekeeping, 12 Jan. 2023
  • The meadow voles don’t have many cell receptors for oxytocin in that spot.
    — Florence Williams, The Atlantic, 1 Feb. 2022
  • Once again, our friend dopamine is part of the mix, regulated by oxytocin.
    — Brandon Keim, WIRED, 16 June 2011
  • Sure enough, the oxytocin levels went up on both sides of the relationship.
    — Karin Brulliard, chicagotribune.com, 27 Sep. 2019
  • Less stress, more relaxation and a boost of oxytocin (the love hormone) lead to a happier you.
    — NBC News, 2 June 2017
  • In 2015, Marlin co-authored a study in the journal Nature on the effect oxytocin had on mice.
    — National Geographic, 9 May 2018
  • The result of that oxytocin: a viewer who’s more likely to trust, support, and like the character.
    — Sabrina Talbert, Women's Health, 24 June 2023
  • When your dog stares into your eyes, your oxytocin rises.
    — Thom Patterson, CNN, 9 June 2017
  • Science has studied how coupons can cause a rise in oxytocin levels.
    — Chavie Lieber, Vox, 1 Nov. 2018
  • People who kiss their pets a lot have a higher level of the bonding hormone oxytocin, Kurz said.
    — Cheryl Higley, cleveland.com, 4 Mar. 2018
  • Researchers still have many questions about the effects of oxytocin on lions.
    — Brian Handwerk, Smithsonian Magazine, 30 Mar. 2022
  • Smuggling, price-gouging, dognapping and heavy doses of oxytocin—in the world of Big Puppy, it’s dog-eat-dog.
    — Bernhard Warner, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2021
  • But for men and women, oxytocin levels rise and fall throughout the day, largely in response to such social cues as a baby's cry or the sight of one's dog.
    — Melissa Healy, latimes.com, 3 May 2018
  • Her team gave ageing mice a cocktail of oxytocin, a hormone, and ALK5 inhibitor, an enzyme.
    — The Economist, 12 Sep. 2019
  • Studies in animals have shown that heat stress can increase the amount of oxytocin a mother produces.
    — Jen Christensen, CNN, 2 Dec. 2019
  • Thank you, Amy, for filling me with oxytocin and reminding me that even when the world is painful, there are pleasures worth being present for, such as orgasms.
    — Sophie Saint Thomas, Allure, 17 July 2018
  • The right kind of touch, like a reassuring pat on the back or warm embrace, elicits in the recipient the release of the feel-good hormone oxytocin.
    — Maridel Reyes, Glamour, 16 Oct. 2018
  • Throw a bear hug into the mix — and the accompanying flood of oxytocin — and that old brain circuitry lit up like fireworks.
    — Amy Paturel, Discover Magazine, 10 Mar. 2017
  • In addition, heat increases the levels of oxytocin, a hormone that plays a role in labor.
    — Doyle Rice, USA TODAY, 2 Dec. 2019
  • The new findings suggest that the release of oxytocin solidifies the bond between humans and dogs.
    — Glenn Garner, Peoplemag, 22 Aug. 2022
  • Dabrowska said the hormone — oxytocin — is located in the portion of the brain which can affect anxiety.
    — Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 9 Dec. 2022
  • As the little guy gazes into each human’s eyes, little bursts of oxytocin likely erupt in his brain (and in each of our heads as well), findings from a 2015 study suggest.
    — Popular Science, 10 Feb. 2020
  • But stress and oxytocin don't really play nice with one another.
    — Amy Haneline, USA TODAY, 6 June 2019
  • Skin-to-skin contact stimulates the release of oxytocin, and cements the bond between a caregiver and an infant.
    — Katherine J. Wu, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2022
  • Furthermore, only 50% of the cats studied produced any oxytocin at all.
    — Bridget Mallon, ELLE Decor, 2 Feb. 2016
  • Lab tests later revealed that Hrdy’s levels of a brain chemical called oxytocin spiked by 63 percent that evening.
    — National Geographic, 9 May 2018
  • The UC Berkley team decided to test the effects of oxytocin using animal models.
    — Christie Wilcox, Discover Magazine, 28 June 2014
  • Talk about the neuroscience experiments being done on Williams Syndrome at the Salk Institute—and the role of oxytocin.
    — National Geographic, 16 July 2017
  • Scientists found that in the brain’s reward system, the density of receptors for oxytocin in the prairie voles was much higher than in montane voles.
    — Sigal Samuel, Vox, 8 July 2019

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'oxytocin.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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