Meaning & use
antihistamine
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A medicine that reduces allergy symptoms such as sneezing, itching, and a runny nose.
Grammar: Countable: you can take an antihistamine or two antihistamines.
Patterns
- take an antihistamine
- an antihistamine for something
My doctor told me to take an antihistamine for my hay fever.
Antihistamines can make you feel sleepy, so be careful when driving.
She always carries antihistamines in her bag in case of an allergic reaction.
Word forms
| plural | antihistamines |
|---|
Common combinations
- take an antihistamine
- He takes an antihistamine every morning during pollen season.
- antihistamine tablet
- The pharmacist gave me an antihistamine tablet for the rash.
- over-the-counter antihistamine
- You can buy an over-the-counter antihistamine without a prescription.
- antihistamine cream
- She applied antihistamine cream to the insect bite.
Synonyms and how they differ
- antiallergic
- A more technical word used mainly in medical writing; antihistamine is the everyday term.
Commonly confused: antihistamine or antibiotic?
antihistamine vs antibiotic
Antibiotics fight bacteria, while antihistamines block histamine and treat allergies; they are not interchangeable.
Practice
I have a bad allergy, so I need to take an ______ to stop the sneezing.
Choose one answer.
Antihistamine is the medicine that blocks histamine and relieves allergy symptoms. Antibiotic treats bacterial infections, painkiller relieves pain, and antiseptic kills germs on the skin, so none of those fits an allergy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “antihistamine”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.