chase the dragon

verb

To inhale the vapor from heated morphine, heroin, oxycodone or opium that has been placed on a piece of foil.

OriginCantonese 追龍 /追龙 →
Ask AI about this wordChatGPTClaudePerplexityGoogle AIGrok

Meanings

verbchase the dragon (third-person singular simple present chases the dragon, present participle chasing the dragon, simple past and past participle chased the dragon)

present singular third person chases the dragon · participle present chasing the dragon · participle past chased the dragon · past chased the dragon

  1. slangTo inhale the vapor from heated morphine, heroin, oxycodone or opium that has been placed on a piece of foil.
  2. idiomaticTo chase after the promise of a continually fulfilling high from an addictive substance.

Origin

  1. Cantonese追龍 /追龙
  2. Englishchase the dragon

Calque of Cantonese 追龍 /追龙 (zeoi¹ lung⁴), a slang phrase of Cantonese origin from Hong Kong. Chasing refers to the careful movement of the liquid in order to keep it from coalescing into a single, unmanageable mass.

More words from Cantonese

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

chase the dragon. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chase%20the%20dragon

MLA

“chase the dragon.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chase%20the%20dragon. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “chase the dragon,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/chase%20the%20dragon.

Source: chase the dragon on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.