: a drug and especially a barbiturate that is taken as a tablet or capsule to induce sleep
Example Sentences
Recent Examples on the WebPlus, using melatonin as a cover-all sleeping pill for insomnia is not a good idea, Dr. Shamin-Uzzaman says. Audrey Noble, Allure, 23 July 2022 This incident, Lana writes, led to Natalie’s addiction to a sleeping pill called Seconal, also known as Secobarbital.Los Angeles Times, 9 Nov. 2021 The infant's grandmother, after taking a sleeping pill, joined her. Crocker Stephenson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 23 Aug. 2021 Katrina took a sleeping pill that evening and sat on her bed staring at the news.New York Times, 8 July 2021 Some arrive after primary care doctors refuse to refill their sleeping pill prescriptions, the coaches say. Cindy Krischer Goodman, sun-sentinel.com, 12 June 2021 Therefore, applying technology to monitor and improve sleep, rather than taking a sleeping pill, would be the preferred course of action. Trisha Swift, Forbes, 12 Apr. 2021 Michaels then called Marshall, who'd just taken a sleeping pill. David Lee Simmons, NOLA.com, 8 Feb. 2021 Several news outlets reported in 2018 that the office would routinely hand out prescription drugs, like the sleeping pill Ambien, to White House staffers. Elizabeth Cooney, STAT, 5 Oct. 2020 See More
Word History
First Known Use
1664, in the meaning defined above
Medical Definition
sleeping pill
noun
: a drug and especially a barbiturate that is taken as a tablet or capsule to induce sleep