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

"An oral pill that targets the underlying neuromuscular drivers of airway collapse during sleep could help address this gap and broaden the range of effective options for patients who remain untreated today."

From Science Daily ● Sep. 1, 2026

“It’s a hard pill to swallow, but I have to do it,” Gonzalez said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2026

The FDA approved Revolution Medicines’ pancreatic cancer pill, Rasonque, and the biotech company decided to remain independent.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

Daraxonrasib, the pill touted by a former member of Congress and cancer patient as a ‘miracle drug,’ has been granted approval in patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

She helped me raise my head, and I put the pill in my mouth and swallowed it down with some of the water.

From "The Chosen" by Chaim Potok

Mr. McCredie was not about to contradict him, and provided him with some pills.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

At a hearing in May, Steele granted prosecutors’ request for access to “any and all prescription medication on file” for Woods, including type of prescription, number of pills and dosage amount.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

So far, officials say they are not aware of any serious illnesses or deaths connected to the Trump-shaped pills.

From Salon ● Aug. 30, 2026

For years Julie-Ann Walkden had relied on pills and injections to cope with chronic pain, but it was an understanding of what was going on that helped her get her life back.

From BBC ● Aug. 23, 2026

While I was locked up, her parents had dragged her to a doctor who washed her brain and weighed her down with pills and empty words.

From "Wintergirls" by Laurie Halse Anderson

Related Words

• dose
• medicine
• tablet