placebo
noun
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Doctors doing research on new treatments for disease often give one group a placebo while a second group takes the new medication. Since those in the placebo group usually believe they're getting the real thing, their own hopeful attitude may bring about improvement in their condition. Thus, for the real drug to be considered effective, it must produce even better results than the placebo. Placebos have another use as well. A doctor who suspects that a patient's physical symptoms are psychologically produced may prescribe a placebo in the hope that mentally produced symptoms can also be mentally cured.
Examples of placebo in a Sentence
Melissa Rudy, FOXNews.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Here, the explanation given was of placebo effects and how placebos may decrease PMS symptoms.
—New Atlas, 25 Mar. 2025
Both therapies are expensive, may cause brain swelling and, in clinical trials, delayed the progression of symptoms by months compared with placebos.
—Brenda Goodman, CNN, 19 Mar. 2025
That compares with an average weight loss of 2.3% for people who received a placebo.
—Annika Kim Constantino, CNBC, 24 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for placebo
Cite this Entry
“Placebo.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placebo. Accessed 3 May. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
placebo
noun
from Latin placebo "I shall please"
Medical Definition
placebo
noun
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