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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.

During our undercover filming we found that supplies were often missing on the wards, and that patients who could afford liquid paracetamol were told to bring their own.

From BBC • Apr. 13, 2026

"Consider having some paracetamol at home to control fever, access local pharmacies and call your surgery or NHS 111 before you turn up," she told BBC Radio Scotland.

From BBC • Dec. 7, 2025

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

Medical experts have strongly pushed back, and health officials in the UK have stressed that paracetamol remains the safest painkiller available to pregnant women.

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025

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