paracetamol

British

/ ˌpærəˈsiːtəˌmɒl, -ˈsɛtə- /

noun

US name: acetaminophen. a mild analgesic and antipyretic drug used as an alternative to aspirin

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of paracetamol

C20: from para-acetamidophenol

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.

But despite being given paracetamol, antihistamines and a drip, Baxter died six hours later.

From BBC • Apr. 24, 2026

"When we did this analysis, we found no links, there was no association, there's no evidence that paracetamol increases the risk of autism," lead study author and consultant obstetrician Professor Asma Khalil, told the BBC.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026

Health advice warns that women can run the risk of harming their baby if they don't take paracetamol to bring down a high temperature or relieve pain when pregnant.

From BBC • Jan. 16, 2026

The reason, its authors wrote, was that “we had no data available on analgesics or possible local anesthetics used during ritual circumcisions in our cohort, so we were unable to address the paracetamol hypothesis directly.”

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 14, 2025

But if I had a significant cold, I’d take some paracetamol.

From Slate • Oct. 8, 2025

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023