birth-control pill

American  

[burth-kuhn-trohl] / ˈbɜrθ kənˌtroʊl /

noun

1. an oral contraceptive for women, containing the hormones estrogen and progesterone or progesterone alone, that inhibits ovulation, fertilization, or implantation of a fertilized ovum, causing temporary infertility.

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Etymology

Origin of birth-control pill

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

birth-control pill

"It may be that the day will come when people say the birth-control pill was a mistake," Alan Sears explained.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2023

Food and Drug Administration approved a birth-control pill called Opill for use without a prescription on Thursday.

From Scientific American ● Jul. 13, 2023

Jane was delivered in Massachusetts in 1939 by obstetrician John Rock, co-inventor of the first birth-control pill.

From Seattle Times ● Sep. 25, 2021

The birth-control pill, which helped propel the second wave of feminism, and rock ’n’ roll’s hedonistic ethic and amplification both undermined Hammerstein’s patriarchal sentimentality and toughened the sound of pop.

From New York Times ● Apr. 30, 2010

Just before I moved to New York, two historic events had occurred: the birth-control pill was invented and the first Julia Child cookbook was published.

From The New Yorker ● Feb. 6, 2006