oral contraceptive

noun

plural oral contraceptives

: any of various preparations that typically contain progestin either alone or in combination with estrogen, are taken orally especially on a daily basis, and act as contraceptives (see contraceptive entry 1) by preventing ovulation, thickening cervical mucus, or thinning the uterine lining : birth control pill

Johns Hopkins University has estimated that 80 percent of American women born since 1945 have used oral contraceptives at some time.

—The New York Times

And because it's a combined oral contraceptive … meaning that it contains progestin and estrogen, it's not recommended for nursing moms …

—Caitlin Stine

She is considering having another child and is wondering whether she should discontinue oral contraceptives to attempt pregnancy.

—G. Adam Davidson

Examples of oral contraceptive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Research suggests women who’ve used oral contraceptives have a 30 to 50% lower risk of ovarian cancer than those who haven’t. —Erica Sloan, SELF, 5 Sep. 2025

More than a quarter – 26.2% – of people now using over-the-counter oral contraceptives were using no modern method of birth control before, according to the study published Monday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open. —Jacqueline Howard, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2025

Decades of use and research have shown that hormonal birth control, such as oral contraceptives, IUDs, patches, injections and implants, is safe and effective at avoiding pregnancy. —Katia Riddle, NPR, 11 Aug. 2025

Mali will experience a shortage of more than 1,100,000 oral contraceptives and 95,800 implants or roughly 24 percent of the country’s annual need. —The Hill, 8 Aug. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1932, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for oral contraceptive

• deceptive
• perceptive
• receptive
• nociceptive
• proprioceptive

Medical Definition

oral contraceptive

noun

: any of various preparations that typically contain a progestin (such as norethindrone or levonorgestrel) either alone or in combination with an estrogen (such as ethinyl estradiol or mestranol), are taken orally especially on a daily basis, and act as contraceptives (see contraceptive entry 1) by preventing ovulation, thickening cervical mucus, or thinning the uterine lining : birth control pill