morning-after pill

American  

[mawr-ning-af-ter pil] / ˈmɔr nɪŋˈæf tər ˌpɪl /

Or morning after pill

noun

Pharmacology.

• morning-after pills
  plural

1. an emergency contraceptive pill used to prevent pregnancy after sexual intercourse, typically by delaying ovulation, preventing fertilization, or preventing a fertilized egg from being implanted in the uterus.

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morning-after pill British  

noun

1. an oral contraceptive that is effective if taken some hours after intercourse

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• morning-after pills
  plural

Etymology

Origin of morning-after pill

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

morning-after pill

In 2024/25, there were around 150,000 NHS prescriptions for the morning-after pill - far fewer than under the new service.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

But officials stopped short of giving it the green light then, saying that making it more easily available would encourage irresponsible use of the "morning-after" pill.

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2025

It’s stocked with ibuprofen, pregnancy tests and the morning-after pill.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 1, 2023

Until March, Honduras was the only country in the region that also banned emergency contraception, the so-called morning-after pill.

From Seattle Times ● May 20, 2023

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is drafting recommendations for using it as a kind of morning-after pill for preventing STDs, said Dr. Leandro Mena, director of the agency’s STD prevention division.

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 11, 2023