pill
1 Americannoun
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a small globular or rounded mass of medicinal substance, usually covered with a hard coating, that is to be swallowed whole.
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something unpleasant that has to be accepted or endured.
Ingratitude is a bitter pill.
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Slang. a tiresomely disagreeable person.
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Sports Slang. a ball, especially a baseball or golf ball.
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the pill. birth-control pill.
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British Slang. pills, billiards.
verb (used with object)
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to dose with pills.
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to form or make into pills.
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Slang. to blackball.
verb (used without object)
idioms
verb (used with or without object)
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British Dialect. to peel.
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Obsolete. to become or cause to become bald.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a small spherical or ovoid mass of a medicinal substance, intended to be swallowed whole
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informal (sometimes capital) an oral contraceptive
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something unpleasant that must be endured (esp in the phrase bitter pill to swallow )
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slang a ball or disc
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a small ball of matted fibres that forms on the surface of a fabric through rubbing
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slang an unpleasant or boring person
verb
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(tr) to give pills to
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(tr) to make pills of
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(intr)
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to form into small balls
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(of a fabric) to form small balls of fibre on its surface through rubbing
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slang (tr) to blackball
verb
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archaic to peel or skin (something)
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archaic to pillage or plunder (a place)
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obsolete to make or become bald
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”; -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)” 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 ( pillage )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Researchers at Adelaide University are taking a closer look at the pill versions of popular weight loss medications.
From Science Daily
For USC, it was an especially bitter pill to swallow, considering how well things had started.
From Los Angeles Times
He says he ultimately was not wanted by then‑manager Graham Potter and describes his exit in August as "a hard pill to take".
From BBC
Experts looked at the available evidence and say they are highly confident that collagen pills or powder provide "some legitimate" skin gains if taken over time but are no quick fix.
From BBC
“In fact, every pill contains only 1/4 of a milligram,” coupled with 100 milligrams of doravirine in the same pill.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
