tablet

noun

tab·​let ˈta-blət 

1

a

: a flat slab or plaque suited for or bearing an inscription

b

: a thin slab or one of a set of portable sheets used for writing

c

: pad entry 1 sense 2

2

a

: a small mass of medicated material

an aspirin tablet

b

: a compressed or molded block of a solid material

3

a

or tablet computer : a mobile computing device that has a flat, rectangular form like that of a magazine or pad of paper, that is usually controlled by means of a touch screen, and that is typically used for accessing the Internet, watching videos, playing games, reading electronic books, etc.

b

: graphics tablet

Synonyms of tablet

• notebook
• pad

Examples of tablet in a Sentence

you'll need to use your writing tablet to record all the information that the real estate agent is likely to reel off

take two tablets of the medication every eight hours

Recent Examples on the Web

During the trip, the quartet are capturing images, making observations and detailing their views via crew tablets and crew-to-Earth communications, said Kelsey Young, the Artemis 2 lunar science lead at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. —Leonard David, Space.com, 6 Apr. 2026

Hours later, while Doyley was still in labor, nurses entered the room and placed a tablet in front of her hospital bed and informed her that she was being taken to court over her medical decision. —Vanessa Etienne, PEOPLE, 4 Apr. 2026

Those images and videos were formerly all produced with off-the-shelf technology like DSLR (digital single-lens reflex) cameras, digital camcorders and tablets, according to NASA. —Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2026

Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film predicted tablet-like devices and the silence of space long before any of it was known to man. —Samantha Agate, Miami Herald, 3 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English tablett, from Anglo-French tablet, diminutive of table table

First Known Use

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

Phrases Containing tablet

• digitizing tablet
• graphics tablet

Kids Definition

tablet

noun

tab·​let ˈtab-lət 

1

a

: a flat slab suited for an inscription

b

: pad entry 2 sense 4

2

a

: a compressed or molded block of a solid material

b

: a small usually round mass of material containing medicine

aspirin tablet

3

a

: graphics tablet

b

or tablet computer : a mobile computing device that has a flat rectangular form, is usually controlled by means of a touch screen, and is typically used for accessing the Internet, watching videos, and reading e-books

Medical Definition

tablet

noun

tab·​let ˈtab-lət 

: a small mass of medicated material (as in the shape of a disk)

an aspirin tablet