pill

[ pil ]

/ pɪl /

noun

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

something unpleasant that has to be accepted or endured: Ingratitude is a bitter pill.

Slang. a tiresomely disagreeable person.

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

the pill. birth-control pill.

pills, British Slang. billiards.

verb (used with object)

to dose with pills.

to form or make into pills.

Slang. to blackball.

verb (used without object)

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

Idioms for pill

Take a chill pill! Disparaging Slang. chill pill(def 2).

Origin of pill

1375–1425; late Middle English pille < Middle Low German, Middle Dutch pille ≪ Latin pilula, diminutive of pila ball; see -ule

Words nearby pill

piliferous, piliform, pilikia, piling, pilipino, pill, pill beetle, pill bug, pill popper, pill pusher, pill-rolling

Definition for pill (2 of 3)

pill ²

[ pil ]

/ pɪl /

verb (used with or without object)

British Dialect. to peel.

Obsolete. to become or cause to become bald.

Origin of pill

before 1100; Middle English pilen, Old English pilian to skin, peel < Latin pilāre to strip (said of hair). See pile³

Definition for pill (3 of 3)

pill ³

[ pil ]

/ pɪl /

verb (used with object) Archaic.

to rob, plunder, or pillage.

Origin of pill

1150–1200; Middle English; probably conflation of pill² with Middle French piller (see pillage)

Example sentences from the Web for pill

If there were a pill with such poor efficacy, it might be considered malpractice to prescribe it.

‘The Biggest Loser’ Could Be TV’s Most Important Show Ever |Daniela Drake |September 26, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“I could have taken the pill, but I wanted to do the one that women were most afraid of,” she told Cosmo.

Wendy Davis and the 'Good Abortion' Myth |Emily Shire |September 10, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
A pill that can give women control over their bodies and sexual choice is coming under criticism for encouraging risky behavior.

Dissed By Her Doctor for Wanting HIV Protection |Heather Boerner |September 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
So far, research shows that none of these fears have been born out with The Pill or with Truvada.

Dissed By Her Doctor for Wanting HIV Protection |Heather Boerner |September 6, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Florida, which began a pill mill crackdown in 2010, saw a 50 percent decrease in overdose deaths from oxycodone in 2012.

Painkiller Overdoses Kill More Than One American Every Hour |Abby Haglage |July 1, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Take three scruples each of mugwort, myrrh, gentian and pill.

The Works of Aristotle the Famous Philosopher |Anonymous
But for some reason or other, before he could do anything and speak to anybody, he had to take some sort of pill.

Command |William McFee
I cannot possibly resolve with myself to tell him openly he is a thief; but I'll gild the pill for him to swallow.

Dryden's Works Vol. 3 (of 18) |John Dryden
He took a small bottle from his desk and tossed a yellow Anti-Alch pill across the desk to me.

The Telenizer |Don Thompson
What is the pill which will keep us well, serene, contented?

Walden, and On The Duty Of Civil Disobedience |Henry David Thoreau

British Dictionary definitions for pill (1 of 2)

pill ¹

/ (pɪl) /

noun

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

the pill (sometimes capital) informal an oral contraceptive

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

slang a ball or disc

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

slang an unpleasant or boring person

verb

(tr) to give pills to

(tr) to make pills of

(intr)

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

(tr) slang to blackball

Word Origin for pill

C15: from Middle Flemish pille, from Latin pilula a little ball, from pila ball

British Dictionary definitions for pill (2 of 2)

pill ²

/ (pɪl) /

verb

archaic, or dialect to peel or skin (something)

archaic to pillage or plunder (a place)

obsolete to make or become bald

Word Origin for pill

Old English pilian, from Latin pilāre to strip

Medical definitions for pill

pill

[ pĭl ]

n.

A small pellet or tablet of medicine, often coated, taken by swallowing whole or by chewing.

An oral contraceptive.

Idioms and Phrases with pill

pill

see bitter pill to swallow; sugar the pill.

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

pill