Meaning & use
mifepristone
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountablemedicaltechnical
A drug that blocks the hormone progesterone, used to end an early pregnancy or to treat certain hormonal conditions.
Grammar: Used as a mass noun; it does not take 'a' or a plural form.
Patterns
- take mifepristone
- prescribe mifepristone
- mifepristone treatment
The clinic provides mifepristone for patients who choose medical abortion.
She was prescribed mifepristone to manage her Cushing's syndrome.
Mifepristone is often used together with misoprostol.
Common combinations
- take mifepristone
- Patients are instructed to take mifepristone at the clinic.
- prescribe mifepristone
- Only licensed doctors can prescribe mifepristone in many countries.
- mifepristone treatment
- Mifepristone treatment for early pregnancy loss is effective and safe.
- mifepristone and misoprostol
- The standard regimen uses mifepristone and misoprostol together.
Synonyms and how they differ
- RU-486
- An older name for the same drug, now less common in formal writing.
- abortion pill
- Informal and broader; it can refer to either mifepristone or the combination product.
Commonly confused: mifepristone or misoprostol?
mifepristone vs misoprostol
A different drug often used with mifepristone; misoprostol causes contractions, while mifepristone blocks progesterone.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'mifepristone' correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Mifepristone' is an uncountable noun, so it does not take 'a' (option A) or a plural verb (option C). It is not a verb (option D). Option B correctly uses it as a direct object with the appropriate medical context.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “mifepristone”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.