FDA
1 synonym for FDA, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The United States Food and Drug Administration, the federal agency responsible for approving and regulating medicines, medical devices, food, cosmetics and tobacco products.
Synonyms
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Food and Drug Administration
How to use FDA
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
FDA approval
FDA-approved
FDA-cleared
FDA recall
submitted to the FDA
Takes the definite article: the FDA. FDA-approved and FDA-cleared are hyphenated before a noun and mean different things in law.
Etymology
An initialism of Food and Drug Administration.
Full origin of FDA →Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between FDA-approved and FDA-cleared?
Approved means the FDA reviewed evidence that the product is safe and effective for its stated use — the standard for new drugs and high-risk devices. Cleared is a lighter route for devices, meaning the maker showed it is substantially equivalent to something already on the market.
What is the difference between the FDA and the USDA?
The FDA regulates most foods, all human and animal drugs, medical devices, cosmetics and tobacco. The USDA regulates meat, poultry and processed egg products, along with farming policy more broadly.
Does the FDA approve dietary supplements?
No. Supplements are sold without pre-market approval; the FDA can only act after a product reaches the market and proves unsafe or falsely labelled. A supplement bottle claiming to be FDA-approved is misrepresenting the rules.
