Definitions

1. noun

A medicinal substance having no therapeutic effect, given to a patient as if it were a real treatment, often used in medical research to test the effectiveness of a new treatment.

“The doctor told the patient that the new medicine was a placebo, and it was actually a sugar pill.”

2. verb

To treat or administer a placebo to someone, often as part of a medical experiment or study.

“The researchers decided to placebo the control group, giving them a sugar pill instead of the actual treatment.”