painkiller
Americannoun
noun
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an analgesic drug or agent
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anything that relieves pain
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of painkiller
Explanation
A painkiller is a medicine that's used to dull or relieve pain, like the painkiller your dad gives you when you have a bad headache. Painkillers are meant to do exactly what their name says: to kill pain. You can also call this kind of medication an analgesic. These range from aspirin and acetaminophen, which are sold over the counter to treat minor aches and pains, to powerful anesthetics administered by doctors before surgery. If you get your wisdom teeth removed, you'll most likely need a painkiller during and after the procedure.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Netflix's "Painkiller" loudly addresses the extremely huge elephant in the room.
From Salon • Aug. 24, 2023
Painkiller, Netflix’s new series about the Sackler family and the rise of Oxycontin is, frankly, a mess, according to Laura Miller.
From Slate • Aug. 10, 2023
Soggy Dollar Bar, where the drink known as the Painkiller is said to have originated: mostly in rubble.
From New York Times • Sep. 16, 2017
A prime example is the Painkiller, a relatively young cocktail invented at a beachside bar in the British Virgin Islands in the 1970s.
From Washington Post • May 10, 2016
Besides these, we carried sugar, coffee, rice, and several bottles of "Painkiller" from Fulton Street, N.Y.
From In the Amazon Jungle Adventures in Remote Parts of the Upper Amazon River, Including a Sojourn Among Cannibal Indians by Lange, Algot
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
