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After bromine was discovered in 1827, chemists could not resist experimenting with the new element. It didn't take long before they found uses for its compounds, in particular potassium bromide, which was used as a sedative to treat everything from epilepsy to sleeplessness. By the 20th century, bromide was being used figuratively to apply to anything or anyone that might put one to sleep because of commonness or just plain dullness.
Examples of bromide in a Sentence
His speech had nothing more to offer than the usual bromides about how everyone needs to work together.
a newspaper editorial offering the timeworn bromide that people should settle their differences peacefully
Recent Examples on the Web
Cases of bromide poisoning largely disappeared once the US Food and Drug Administration started prohibiting its use in 1975, but that number is ticking upwards in recent years thanks to its reintroduction into unregulated dietary supplements and sedatives.
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Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
Incidents of such poisoning saw a sharp decline when the Food and Drug Administration phased out the use of bromides in pharmaceuticals between the mid 70s and late 1980s.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
However, swapping out classic sodium chloride for sodium bromide is a solid way to give yourself acne, involuntary muscle spasms, and paranoid psychosis.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
But in regards to getting a strong return in trading Luis Robert Jr., Chris Getz is adding a fourth verb to the bromide.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bromide
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Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
Incidents of such poisoning saw a sharp decline when the Food and Drug Administration phased out the use of bromides in pharmaceuticals between the mid 70s and late 1980s.
—Mary Walrath-Holdridge, USA Today, 13 Aug. 2025
However, swapping out classic sodium chloride for sodium bromide is a solid way to give yourself acne, involuntary muscle spasms, and paranoid psychosis.
—Andrew Paul, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2025
But in regards to getting a strong return in trading Luis Robert Jr., Chris Getz is adding a fourth verb to the bromide.
—Phil Rogers, Forbes.com, 1 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bromide
Cite this Entry
“Bromide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bromide. Accessed 4 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
bromide
noun
bro·mide
ˈbrō-ˌmīd 
: any of various compounds of bromine with another element or a chemical group including some used as sedatives
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