quaalude

noun

quaa·​lude ˈkwā-ˌlüd How to pronounce quaalude (audio)
: a tablet or capsule of methaqualone

Examples of quaalude in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Her 1987 memoir was even more candid, describing her paralyzing anxiety and a decade of quaalude use that began in the 1970s. Jennie Rothenberg Gritz, Smithsonian Magazine, 4 Oct. 2023 Not long before Bobbie Arnstein's death, Hefner and Playboy were confronted by tragedy when Bunny Adrienne Pollack died of a quaalude overdose in 1973. Lanford Beard, PEOPLE.com, 8 Feb. 2022 The couple were discovered surrounded by what the police described as a commercial amount of cocaine, quaaludes and marijuana. David Reamer, Anchorage Daily News, 3 May 2020 Stone took anything and everything over the course of his life: peyote, quaaludes, smack, Ritalin, Halcion, benzodiazepines. Dwight Garner, New York Times, 9 Mar. 2020 Nearby, another plane, this one designed to simulate severe turbulence, was bobbing up and down like a bronco on quaaludes. BostonGlobe.com, 24 Oct. 2019 By 13, Williams was drinking heavily and using speed, acid and quaaludes, according to legal documents. Washington Post, 19 Sep. 2019 Recent roles — whether getting high on quaaludes or eating raw bison liver — haven’t felt so personal. David Canfield, EW.com, 16 Dec. 2019 Although old-guard quaaludes aren't among the substances screened, the device takes aim at the class of benzodiazepines most typically slipped into drinks today—including Valium, Xanax, and Rohypnol (or roofies). Laura Regensdorf, Vogue, 8 Sep. 2018

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

Word History

Etymology

from Quaalude, a trademark

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of quaalude was in 1966

Dictionary Entries Near quaalude

Cite this Entry

“Quaalude.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quaalude. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

quaalude

noun
quaa·​lude ˈkwā-ˌlüd How to pronounce quaalude (audio)
: a tablet or capsule of methaqualone
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