pill

1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈpil 

pilled; pilling; pills

intransitive verb

dialectal, chiefly England : to come off in flakes or scales : peel

transitive verb

1

archaic : to subject to depredation or extortion

2

dialect : to peel or strip off

pill

2 of 3

noun

1

a

: a usually medicinal or dietary preparation in a small rounded mass to be swallowed whole

b

or Pill : birth control pill

—usually used with the

2

: something repugnant or unpleasant that must be accepted or endured

3

: something resembling a pill in size or shape

4

: a disagreeable or tiresome person

pill

3 of 3

verb (2)

pilled; pilling; pills

transitive verb

1

: to dose with pills

2

: blackball

intransitive verb

: to become rough with or mat into little balls

brushed woolens often pill

Synonyms

Noun

• tablet
• capsule

Examples of pill in a Sentence

Noun

She took a pill for her headache.

The drug is available as a pill or a liquid.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Even after several cycles, the quilt is guaranteed not to pill, fade, or shrink. —Melody Kazel, People.com, 24 Aug. 2025

There are some fun fabric color options, like blue and orange, though the upholstery does tend to pill and is a magnet for pet hair. —Louryn Strampe, Wired News, 20 Aug. 2025

Noun

Those with routines to follow will want to check out the slim, weekly pill organizer from Vaydeer, and the Fyy Daily Pill Organizer is also great for organizing multiple medicine shapes, sizes, and quantities without taking up too much space. —Emily Belfiore, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025

Ne Zha’s mother is transmogrified into a magical pill at the hands of the story’s villainous mastermind, the immortal Wuliang. —Derek Robertson, The Washington Examiner, 5 Sep. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English pilen, pillen, partly from Old English pilian to peel, partly from Anglo-French piler to rob

Noun

Middle English pylle, from Anglo-French pile & Middle Dutch pille, both ultimately from Latin pilula, from diminutive of pila ball

First Known Use

Verb (1)

12th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (2)

1736, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Phrases Containing pill

• abortion pill
• birth control pill
• contraceptive pill
• dummy pill
• mini pill
• morning-after pill
• pep pill
• pill bug
• poison pill
• pre-pill
• red pill
• sleeping pill
• sugar pill
• sugar/sweeten the pill
• take the red pill
• water pill

Rhymes for pill

• bill
• brill
• chill
• drill
• fil
• fill
• frill
• gill
• grill
• grille
• jill
• kill

Kids Definition

pill

1 of 2 noun

ˈpil 

1

a

: medicine or a food supplement in a small rounded mass to be swallowed whole

b

often capitalized : an oral contraceptive

—usually used with the

2

: something resembling a pill in shape or size

3

: something unpleasant that must be accepted or endured

4

: an unpleasant or tiresome person

pill

2 of 2 verb

of a garment

: to develop small balls of fiber on the surface because of wear

Medical Definition

pill

noun

ˈpil 

1

: a usually medicinal or dietary preparation in a small rounded mass to be swallowed whole

2

often capitalized : birth control pill

—usually used with the

has been on the pill for three years