pillbox

noun

pill·​box ˈpil-ˌbäks 

1

: a box for pills

especially : a shallow round box of pasteboard

2

: a small low concrete emplacement for machine guns and antitank weapons

3

: a small round hat without a brim

specifically : a woman's shallow hat with a flat crown and straight sides

Examples of pillbox in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Hats felt especially expressive, from the pillbox shapes that carried a whiff of mod elegance to the newsboy caps that revived a polarizing Y2K style. —Minty Mellon, Vogue, 2 Oct. 2025

The chili was oversalted and oddly smooth, with a slab of nonmelting cheese sitting on top of it like a pillbox hat. —Ellen Cushing, The Atlantic, 22 Sep. 2025

This four-compartment pillbox fits eight standard-sized pills and has a timer attached. —Bestreviews, Mercury News, 16 Sep. 2025

Her pillbox halo hat with a birdcage veil was by Jane Taylor. —Julia Teti, Footwear News, 16 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1702, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pillbox

• botox
• checkbox
• comox
• cornstalks
• cowpox
• crosswalks
• deadlocks
• detox
• feedstocks
• firebox
• gearbox
• hemlocks

Kids Definition

pillbox

noun

pill·​box ˈpil-ˌbäks 

1

: a small usually shallow box for pills

2

: a small low fortification for machine guns and antitank weapons

3

: a small round hat without a brim