pill
Pill (noun) means a small solid tablet of medicine meant to be swallowed. Example: “She takes a pill every morning to manage her blood pressure.”
How to Use Pill
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA tablet of medicine, the contraceptive pill, or (informally) an annoying person.
"A bitter pill to swallow" is an idiom for accepting bad news, not a literal medicine reference.
Word Forms
pilled past tense, pilled past tense, pills plural, pills plural, pills plural, pills singular, pills singular
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
She takes a _____ every morning to manage her blood pressure.
Etymology
From Middle English pille, ultimately from Latin pila/pilula, "little ball."
Synonyms
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Rhymes for pill
See all rhymes for pill →Frequently Asked Questions
What does “pill” mean?
The word “pill” means a small solid tablet of medicine meant to be swallowed. In plain terms, a tablet of medicine, the contraceptive pill, or (informally) an annoying person.
How do you pronounce “pill”?
“Pill” is pronounced pihl (/pɪl/ in IPA).
How do you use “pill” in a sentence?
Here is “pill” used in a sentence: “She takes a pill every morning to manage her blood pressure.”
What is another word for “pill”?
Words with a similar meaning to “pill” include tablet.
What part of speech is “pill”?
“Pill” is a noun.
Where does the word “pill” come from?
The word “pill” comes from Latin. From Middle English pille, ultimately from Latin pila/pilula, "little ball.".
Is “pill” a common word?
“Pill” is a fairly common word in modern English, usually learned at around the A2 level.
How many meanings does “pill” have?
“Pill” has 3 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a small solid tablet of medicine meant to be swallowed.
What is the difference between a pill, a tablet, and a capsule?
Pill is the everyday umbrella word for any small solid piece of medicine meant to be swallowed. A tablet is medicine compressed into a solid shape, while a capsule holds the medicine inside a soluble shell, so both count as pills in ordinary speech.