morning-after pill

noun

morn·​ing-af·​ter pill ˌmȯr-niŋ-ˈaf-tər- 

variants or less commonly morning after pill

plural morning-after pills also morning after pills

: an oral drug usually containing high doses of estrogen that is taken up to usually three days after unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure to prevent or delay ovulation

The FDA-approved morning-after pill can reduce the chance of pregnancy after unprotected sex or failure of another contraceptive method like a condom, and is ideally taken within 72 hours. The pill … works by delaying ovulation or preventing implantation and cannot terminate a pregnancy.

—Parija Kavilanz

compare emergency contraception

Examples of morning-after pill in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

No, morning-after pills are emergency contraception and will not work if a woman is already pregnant. —Alyssa Goldberg, The Courier-Journal, 13 Nov. 2024

The organisation got into some controversy earlier this year when Olivia handed out contraceptives and the morning-after pill at her concerts — the act was halted, likely due to backlash from conservatives. —Allie Daisy King, refinery29.com, 9 May 2024

Advocacy is a core tenet for the brand, most notably seen through its Restart Donation Bank, which allows anyone to either donate $20 or redeem for free a dose of the morning-after pill. —Emily Burns, WWD, 3 Sep. 2019

Recommended One is President Andrzej Duda, who holds veto power over legislation and who already last month vetoed a law that would have allowed over-the-counter access to the morning-after pill for girls and women ages 15 and above. —Vanessa Gera, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1964, in the meaning defined above

Medical Definition

morning-after pill

noun

morn·​ing-af·​ter pill ˌmȯr-niŋ-ˈaf-tər- 

variants also morning after pill

: an oral drug typically containing high doses of estrogen that is taken up to usually three days after unprotected sexual intercourse or contraceptive failure to prevent or delay ovulation compare emergency contraception