sleeping pill

noun

: a drug and especially a barbiturate that is taken as a tablet or capsule to induce sleep

Examples of sleeping pill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The real-life Ann Woodward committed suicide on October 10, 1975, overdosing on sleeping pills in her New York City apartment. Elise Taylor, Vogue, 1 Feb. 2024 She’s also endured her share of troubles, including an overdose on aspirin and sleeping pills in 2010 that put her in the hospital, as well as in the tabloids. Angelique Jackson, Variety, 14 Nov. 2023 Jabbari later returned to Majors’ apartment and called him multiple times – 32, according to Chaudhry – before taking two sleeping pills. Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 4 Dec. 2023 Just two years later, amid a battle with depression and intense public scrutiny, Barrino tried to take her own life by swallowing sleeping pills and aspirin. Emily St. Martin, Los Angeles Times, 18 Nov. 2023 Unlike traditional sleeping pills, brain assist supplements are non-addictive and don't have harmful side effects. Amber Smith, Discover Magazine, 6 July 2023 Zolpidem is the generic name for the sleeping pill Ambien. Tracy Smith, CBS News, 15 Oct. 2023 On the day of the slayings, authorities said Youngblood gave the girls sleeping pill gummies beforeshe shot them. Olivia Diaz, Washington Post, 24 Sep. 2023 Leonid Brezhnev, the Communist Party’s longtime General Secretary until his death, in 1982, suffered from arteriosclerosis and an alarming dependence on sleeping pills; ordinary Soviets, in the privacy of their kitchens, mocked his inability to speak a clear sentence. David Remnick, The New Yorker, 24 Sep. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sleeping pill.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1664, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of sleeping pill was in 1664

Dictionary Entries Near sleeping pill

Cite this Entry

“Sleeping pill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sleeping%20pill. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sleeping pill

noun
: a drug that is taken as a tablet or capsule to bring on sleep

Medical Definition

sleeping pill

noun
: a drug and especially a barbiturate that is taken as a tablet or capsule to induce sleep

called also sleeping tablet

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!