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Synonyms

pep pill

American  

noun

  1. a pill, tablet, or capsule that contains a stimulant drug, especially amphetamine.

pep pill British  

noun

  1. informal a tablet containing a stimulant drug

"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 pep pill

An Americanism dating back to 1935–40

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.

Without their emerging-markets pep pill many firms would have dire revenue growth.

From Economist • Mar. 6, 2014

To the listless U.S. economy the Federal Reserve slipped another pep pill.

From Time Magazine Archive

Nasser's council, founded four years ago, is the pep pill responsible for much of the awakening.

From Time Magazine Archive

Most insurance companies now realize that medicare, far from being the disaster they once predicted, may prove to be a welcome pep pill for their industry.

From Time Magazine Archive

This palpable alter ego, invisible to the other characters, acts as a jazzy Greek chorus, a human pep pill, and a court jester.

From Time Magazine Archive

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.