sleeping pill
Noun: A sleeping pill is a medication, specifically a sedative or hypnotic drug, formulated in a solid, small, and often round shape (pill, tablet, or capsule) that is taken orally to help a person fall asleep or stay asleep.
A "sleeping pill" is used to treat insomnia or other sleep disorders. It is typically taken shortly before bedtime. The term refers specifically to the physical pill itself as a dosage form of a sleep-inducing medication. - The doctor prescribed a mild sleeping pill for her occasional insomnia. - He took a sleeping pill at 10 PM to ensure he would get a full night's rest. - Traveling across multiple time zones, she relied on a sleeping pill to adjust her sleep schedule.
- "to be on sleeping pills": to be regularly using such medication as part of a treatment plan.
- After the traumatic event, he was on sleeping pills for several months.
- Used metaphorically to describe something extremely boring or soporific.
- That lecture was a real sleeping pill; half the audience dozed off.
- Sleeping tablet / Sleep tablet: A direct synonym, common in British English.
- Hypnotic: A more clinical term for a sleep-inducing drug.
- Sedative: A broader term for a drug that calms or induces drowsiness, which may include sleeping pills.
- Soporific: (Adjective or Noun) Causing sleep; a sleep-inducing agent.
- Sleep aid (a more general term that can include non-pill forms)
- Hypnotic agent
- Soporific
- Prescription sleeping pill: A sleeping medication that requires a doctor's authorization.
- The stronger sleeping pills are usually available by prescription only.
- Over-the-counter sleeping pill: A sleep aid that can be purchased without a prescription.
- She bought an over-the-counter sleeping pill from the pharmacy.
The term is a compound noun ("sleeping" + "pill"). It is important to distinguish between the specific pill and the general state or action of "sleeping." The word "pill" in this context specifically denotes the medicinal form.
- a soporific drug in the form of a pill (or tablet or capsule)