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Synonyms

sleeping pill

American  

noun

  1. a pill or capsule containing a drug for inducing sleep.


sleeping pill British  

noun

  1. a pill or tablet containing a sedative drug, such as a barbiturate, used to induce sleep

"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 sleeping pill

First recorded in 1940–45

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.

See Examples For:

My insomnia, caused by COVID, has been so bad and so utterly strange to me, my doctor prescribed a prescription sleeping pill at night, the first such medication I've taken.

From Salon Mar. 14, 2023

The articles I’ve read say not to take a sleeping pill and to use nonmedicinal techniques instead.

From Seattle Times Jun. 1, 2022

When she got pregnant with her fifth baby, she’d been having trouble sleeping, so she took a sleeping pill her husband had recently bought over the counter on a trip to England.

From Slate Jun. 1, 2022

“If you took a sleeping pill in the middle of the day, it would make you feel sleepy. If you took melatonin in the middle of the day, it doesn’t really have that effect.”

From New York Times Jan. 11, 2022

For a moment, as Deborah’s face began to sag and her body slumped, Davon thought maybe she’d accidentally taken her sleeping pill before coming to church.

From "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" by Rebecca Skloot

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