# insulin

/ˈɪnsəɫən/ (US) · /ˈɪnsuːlˌɪn/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/insulin
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. natural hormone

noun · CEFR B2 · Technical

a natural substance made by your body that helps you use and store the sugar from food.

For teachers: a hormone produced by the islets of Langerhans in the pancreas that regulates the level of glucose in the blood.

- The body produces insulin to help turn the sugar from your meals into energy.
- In a healthy individual, the pancreas releases insulin in response to rising blood glucose levels, facilitating the transport of sugar into the cells.

Usage: Uncountable when referring to the biological substance in general.

### 2. medication

noun · CEFR B2

a medicine that people with diabetes take to keep their blood sugar at a safe level.

For teachers: a pharmaceutical preparation of the hormone, or its synthetic analogues, administered to patients with diabetes mellitus.

- He needs to take an insulin injection every day before he eats breakfast.
- Advancements in biotechnology have allowed for the production of rapid-acting insulin analogues that more closely mimic the body's natural response to a meal.

Usage: Can be used as a countable noun when referring to specific types or doses of the medication.

## Examples

- The doctor checked his insulin levels during the physical exam.
- Patients with type 1 diabetes must inject insulin daily because their bodies cannot produce the hormone naturally.
- The mass production of synthetic human insulin via recombinant DNA technology revolutionized the treatment of metabolic disorders, replacing the previous reliance on animal-derived extracts.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.