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

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)

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

Prior to this, women had to book an appointment with their GP, sexual health clinic or pharmacy to get the morning-after pill.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

In 2024/25, there were around 150,000 NHS prescriptions for the morning-after pill - far fewer than under the new service.

From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2026

If confirmed by further research, the pill could mark AstraZeneca's entrance into the massively lucrative weight-loss drug market currently dominated by Denmark's Novo Nordisk and American giant Eli Lilly.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

A new class of American-developed drugs, oral biomimetic engineered cyclic peptides, or eCPs, can in some cases replicate the therapeutic function of an injected biologic in pill form without replicating its complex structure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

When Yossarian woke up again and went to see him, Doc Daneeka made ready to give him another pill and a shot.

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

The researchers say newer obesity treatments - such as GLP-1 jabs and pills - might help, alongside healthy eating advice.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

So-called small molecules, which are typically pills dispensed by pharmacies, have generics that are much cheaper in the U.S. than abroad because of the intense price competition that patent expiration unleashes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026

I know people who stop taking pills because they cherish those manic spells and the hypercreativity that comes with them.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

However, the market for GLP-1s took a turn earlier this year, with the launch of two GLP-1 pills: the Wegovy pill, and Lilly’s Foundayo.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026

The aides to help me shower or bring me pills.

From "Not Nothing" by Gayle Forman

Related Words

• dose
• medicine
• tablet