sleeping-pills
Definition
- Noun (plural):
- Medication to induce sleep: "sleeping-pills" refer to pharmaceutical drugs designed to help a person fall asleep or stay asleep, often used for treating insomnia.
Usage Examples
- (Medication to help her sleep.)
- (Used as a sleep aid.)
Advanced Usage
"to be on sleeping-pills": to regularly take medication to aid sleep.
- She has been on sleeping-pills for several months due to stress. (She relies on them for sleep.)
"overdose on sleeping-pills": to take a dangerously high amount of such medication.
- The patient accidentally overdosed on sleeping-pills and was rushed to the hospital. (Consumed an excessive dose.)
Variants and Related Words
Sleeping-pill (noun, singular): a single dose or tablet of such medication.
- He took one sleeping-pill and felt drowsy within twenty minutes. (A single tablet.)
Sleep (noun/verb): the natural state of rest for the body and mind.
- She needs more sleep to recover from her illness. (Rest.)
Pill (noun): a small, solid dose of medicine.
- He swallowed a pill with water. (A medicinal tablet.)
Synonyms
Sedative: a drug that calms or induces sleep.
- The doctor prescribed a mild sedative for her anxiety. (Calming medication.)
Hypnotic: a drug that promotes sleep (medical term).
- Hypnotics are often used for short-term insomnia treatment. (Sleep-inducing drugs.)
Related Idioms
To sleep like a log: to sleep very deeply and soundly.
- After taking the sleeping-pills, she slept like a log. (Slept deeply.)
To knock someone out (informal): to cause someone to fall asleep quickly or lose consciousness.
- The sleeping-pills knocked him out within minutes. (Made him fall asleep rapidly.)