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pill1 definition

pill (pil)

noun

  1. a small ball, tablet, capsule, etc. of medicine to be swallowed whole
  2. anything unpleasant but unavoidable
    1. something like a pill in shape
    2. Slang a baseball, golf ball, etc.
  4. Slang an unpleasant or boring person

Etymology: LME pylle, contr. < L pilula, dim. of pila, a ball: see piles

transitive verb

  1. to dose with pills
  2. to form into pills
  3. Slang to blackball

intransitive verb

to form into small balls, as fuzz on a fabric
pill Idioms

the pill

or the Pill
☆ Informal any contraceptive drug for women, taken in the form of a pill
pill2 definition

pill (pil)

transitive verb, intransitive verb

  1. Archaic to pillage; plunder
  2. Now Brit., Dialectal to peel

Etymology: ME pilien, to rob, peel, ult. < ? L pilare, to make bald < pilus, a hair

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

idioms pill idiom

medical pill definition - medical

pill Synonyms

pill

n.

  1. A tablet

    capsule, pilule, pellet; see medicine 2, tablet 3.

  2. *A contraceptive tablet; usually with "the"

    contraceptive pill, oral contraceptive, prophylactic; see contraceptive.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

pill Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • slim: Forget slimming pills, there is no quick fix remedy.

Adjective modifier

  • morning-after: Also, please check whether local teachers would like to receive further copies of SPUC's revised notes on the morning-after pill.

Modifies a noun

  • dispenser: The automatic pill dispenser will be sent by Royal Mail First Class Post.

Noun used with modifier

  • sleeping: Sleeping pills - a real ' Insomnia Cure ' ?
pill usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

pill quotes

Mother needs something today to calm her down, And though she's not really ill, There's a little yellow pill: She goes running for the shelter Of a mother's little helper, And it helps her on her way, Gets her through her busy day.

-Jagger, Mick and Richards, Keith

pill quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"pill." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 4 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/pill>

APA Style

pill. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 4th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/pill

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