purgatives

noun

plural of purgative
as in drugs
a substance used to induce or speed up the process of defecation In the past, purgatives were sometimes administered in cases of accidental poisoning.

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatives
  1. drugs
  2. remedies
Noun
  • Four people, including a man serving time for murder, have been arrested and accused of smuggling drugs and other contraband into the Pulaski County jail, a news release from the county sheriff's office says.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Follow-up testing found that the street drugs contained high levels of N-methylclonazepam, a benzodiazepine that operates similarly to Xanax or Valium.
    — Scott Maucione, NPR, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of drugs
Noun
  • The pandemic marked a shift in business because the new storefront was busy with customers looking for natural remedies to fight COVID-19.
    — Michael Butler, Miami Herald, 31 July 2026
  • Here’s what consumers should know about the recall, including all affected products and remedies.
    — Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 31 July 2026
Definition of remedies
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Cite this Entry

“Purgatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatives. Accessed 11 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of purgatives for Spanish Speakers

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