mifepristone

noun

mi·​fep·​ris·​tone ˌmi-fə-ˈpri-ˌstōn 

mi-ˈfe-pri-ˌstōn

: a drug C₂₉H₃₅NO₂ taken orally to induce abortion especially early in pregnancy by blocking the body's use of progesterone

called also RU-486

Examples of mifepristone in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

First approved in 2000, mifepristone has helped fuel an increase in abortions in recent years, despite the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade in 2022. —Savannah Kuchar, USA Today, 7 May 2025

The lawsuit from Idaho, Kansas and Missouri argues that Food and Drug Administration should roll back access to mifepristone. —Lindsay Whitehurst, Chicago Tribune, 5 May 2025

Soon after, Missouri's attorney general revived the state's push against mifepristone in District court. —Tina Reed, Axios, 5 May 2025

His wife, the lawyer Erin Morrow Hawley, argued a case that unsuccessfully sought to curtail access to mifepristone, a medication used in abortions, before the Supreme Court and was on the legal team for the case that overturned Roe v. Wade. —Robert Draper, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

perhaps from amino + fe- (alteration of phen-) + pri- (alteration of prop-) + estradiol + -one

First Known Use

1985, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for mifepristone

• aldosterone
• anticyclone
• progesterone
• testosterone
• acetone
• anglophone
• baritone
• bourguignon
• buspirone
• chaperon
• chaperone
• cobblestone

Medical Definition

mifepristone

noun

mi·​fep·​ris·​tone ˌmi-fə-ˈpris-ˌtōn  mi-ˈfep-ri-ˌstōn 

: a drug C₂₉H₃₅NO₂ taken orally to induce abortion especially early in pregnancy by blocking the body's use of progesterone

called also RU-486