dummy pill
noun
: a pill or substance that is given to a patient like a drug but that has no physical effect on the patient : placebo
Examples of dummy pill in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
They were divided into two groups, with one group taking up to 2,000 milligrams of metformin daily and the other group taking a placebo (dummy pill).
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Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Studies in more than 870 patients with acute pain due to foot and abdominal surgeries showed Vertex’s drug provided more relief than a dummy pill but didn’t outperform a common opioid-acetaminophen combination pill.
—Matthew Perrone, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025
Those 168 adults were randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups; 37 people got a placebo, or dummy pill, while roughly equal-size groups took one of four daily doses of ketamine that ranged from 30 milligrams to 180 milligrams.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 24 June 2024
For the new study, researchers measured symptoms in 104 people with PTSD who were randomly assigned to get either MDMA or a dummy pill during three sessions, one month apart.
—Carla K. Johnson, Fortune Well, 15 Sep. 2023
Half got daily Nexletol and half a dummy pill.
—Lauran Neergaard, ajc, 4 Mar. 2023
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Tom Gavin, EverydayHealth.com, 29 Apr. 2025
Studies in more than 870 patients with acute pain due to foot and abdominal surgeries showed Vertex’s drug provided more relief than a dummy pill but didn’t outperform a common opioid-acetaminophen combination pill.
—Matthew Perrone, Chicago Tribune, 30 Jan. 2025
Those 168 adults were randomly assigned to one of five treatment groups; 37 people got a placebo, or dummy pill, while roughly equal-size groups took one of four daily doses of ketamine that ranged from 30 milligrams to 180 milligrams.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 24 June 2024
For the new study, researchers measured symptoms in 104 people with PTSD who were randomly assigned to get either MDMA or a dummy pill during three sessions, one month apart.
—Carla K. Johnson, Fortune Well, 15 Sep. 2023
Half got daily Nexletol and half a dummy pill.
—Lauran Neergaard, ajc, 4 Mar. 2023
Cite this Entry
“Dummy pill.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dummy%20pill. Accessed 25 May. 2025.
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