pill

¹ American  

[pil] / pɪl /

noun

• pills
  plural

1. a small globular or rounded mass of medicinal substance, usually covered with a hard coating, that is to be swallowed whole.

2. something unpleasant that has to be accepted or endured.

   Ingratitude is a bitter pill.

3. Slang. a tiresomely disagreeable person.

4. Sports Slang. a ball, especially a baseball or golf ball.

5. the pill. birth-control pill.

6. British Slang. pills, billiards.

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verb (used with object)

1. to dose with pills.

2. to form or make into pills.

3. Slang. to blackball.

verb (used without object)

1. to form into small, pill-like balls, as the fuzz on a wool sweater.

idioms

1. Take a chill pill! chill pill.

pill ² American  

[pil] / pɪl /

verb (used with or without object)

1. British Dialect. to peel.

2. Obsolete. to become or cause to become bald.

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pill ³ American  

[pil] / pɪl /

verb (used with object)

Archaic.

1. to rob, plunder, or pillage.

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pill ¹ British  

/ pɪl /

noun

1. a small spherical or ovoid mass of a medicinal substance, intended to be swallowed whole

2. informal (sometimes capital) an oral contraceptive

3. something unpleasant that must be endured (esp in the phrase bitter pill to swallow )

4. slang a ball or disc

5. a small ball of matted fibres that forms on the surface of a fabric through rubbing

6. slang an unpleasant or boring person

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verb

1. (tr) to give pills to

2. (tr) to make pills of

3. (intr)

   1. to form into small balls

   2. (of a fabric) to form small balls of fibre on its surface through rubbing

4. slang (tr) to blackball

pill ² British  

/ pɪl /

verb

1. archaic to peel or skin (something)

2. archaic to pillage or plunder (a place)

3. obsolete to make or become bald

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pill More Idioms  

1. see bitter pill to swallow; sugar the pill.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pills
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of pill¹

First recorded in 1375–1425; Middle English pille, from Middle Low German, Middle Dutch pille, Old French pile, from Latin pilula “little ball, globule, pellet,” diminutive of pila “ball”; see -ule

Origin of pill²

First recorded before 1100; Middle English pilen “to rob, steal, plunder,” Old English pilian “to skin, peel,” from Latin pilāre “to pluck, remove (hair or feathers)” see pile ³

Origin of pill³

First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English pile(n), pille(n), pilie(n), probably conflation of pill ² with Middle French piller, peler ( see pillage)

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Explanation

A small, round dose of medicine is a pill. If you get sick, you might take a pill, which is a pain because it usually tastes bad. A person who’s a pain can also be called a pill. In addition to medicine, you can take vitamins or other supplements in the form of a pill. Most pills have to be swallowed whole with water, but some can be chewed. Because of the association of pill with yucky medicine, there's also the colloquial meaning of "unpleasant person," like a little brother who's a total pill. And from the same association comes "a bitter pill to swallow," for "a difficult or painful necessity."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pill pills

Possible approaches include simplifying medication schedules, combining multiple treatments into a single pill, and prescribing longer-acting drugs that can help limit the consequences of an occasional missed dose.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 25, 2026

Roche reiterated its full-year guidance and said it is prepared to launch its giredestrant breast-cancer pill later this year.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

"It's a bitter pill to swallow to have to pay tax for something which was not my fault," he said.

From BBC ● Oct. 19, 2026

The lack of pay increases are a tough pill to swallow for many Americans, especially lower- and middle-income households struggling with higher energy and living costs.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

He gobbles down the treat, never suspecting a pill is hidden inside it.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass

The activists may argue that the post was not in earnest, and that no one involved ever seriously intended to bring pills into Texas.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

It’s fair to assume many of us require a stern talking-to, like dogs who need their pills hidden inside the cheese that is Cruise’s Mr. Movies persona.

From Salon ● Oct. 5, 2026

Rather than a typical medical clinic, it provides women with access to resources, including pills, and a space to be able to seek support or carry out the pharmacological abortion.

From Barron's ● Sep. 30, 2026

That is what makes the recent breakthrough in pharma so important: Companies are figuring out how to put peptides into pills, and it isn’t just Protagonist.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026

She says if they had pills for that, they wouldn’t need places like this in the first place, would they?

From "It’s Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini

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Related Words

• dose
• medicine
• tablet

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