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.

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for purgatives
  1. drugs
  2. remedies
Noun
  • From premium pet food to medical care Whether GLP-1 drugs eventually become commonplace in veterinary medicine remains uncertain.
    — Elsa Ohlen,Carolin Roth, CNBC, 18 July 2026
  • The Fort Worth Police Department arrested three men on narcotics charges after seizing a large amount of drugs from their homes, police said.
    — Mary Ella Hastings July 17, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 July 2026
Definition of drugs
Noun
  • The green light doesn’t require any divestitures, behavioral remedies or concessions.
    — Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 13 July 2026
  • Several inexpensive chemical and natural DIY remedies can remove clothes moths; try all of them before seeking professional help.
    — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 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.

Browse Nearby Words

purgative
purgatives
purgatories
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Purgatives.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/purgatives. Accessed 22 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on purgatives

Nglish: Translation of purgatives for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of stalwart

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
thumbnail graphic with text word of the day quiz
Weekly "Word of the Day" Quiz See how well you know each Word of the Day for Ju...
See All