pill
pill
/pɪl/
1 countable a small flat round piece of medicine that you swallow whole, without biting it a vitamin pill
Take three pills daily after meals.
(informal) pill-popping (= the act of taking too many pills or using illegal drugs)
The doctor prescribed her some pills to help her sleep.
I was on various pills for my heart condition.
Collocations
adjective
dietsleepingvitamin…
… of pills
bottle
verb + pill
popswallowtake…
2 the pill, the Pill singular a pill that some women take to prevent them becoming pregnant the contraceptive pill
on the pill to be/go on the pill
Her doctor put her on the pill at 16.
Collocations
adjective
birth-controlcontraceptiveabortion…
verb + the pill
be ongo onuse…
3 countable (North American English) an annoying person Idioms
pill
/pɪl/
(of a piece of clothing, especially one made of wool) to become covered in very small balls of fibre
Word Origin
noun late Middle English: ultimately from Latin pilula ‘little ball’, diminutive of pila; compare with Middle Dutch, Middle Low German pille.