pill
noun · verb
Simple meaning
A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
pilIPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɪl
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
broadly
A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
strictly
Such an object that is of solid constitution (usually of compressed, bonded powder) rather than a capsule (with a shell containing loose powder or liquid).
Something unpleasant or offensive that must be tolerated or endured
“His competitor's success was a bitter pill to take.”
informaluncountabledefinitei.e. used with "the"
Contraceptive medication, usually in the form of a pill to be taken by a woman; an oral contraceptive pill.
verb
To form into the shape of a pill.
transitive
To medicate with pills; to administer pills to.
To peel; to make by removing the skin.
To be peeled; to peel off in flakes.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: (broadly) A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
Used this way, pill is a reasonably familiar word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It usually sounds natural in a wide range of settings.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Mild
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
More ways to use pill
- “His competitor's success was a bitter pill to take.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
A consumer of amphetamine pills.
Small terrestrial isopod with a convex segmented body that can roll up into a ball.
A small bottle for holding pills.
A health professional trained in the art of preparing and dispensing drugs.
A health professional trained in the art of preparing and dispensing drugs.
A pill or tablet containing several vitamins.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- capsulenoun
- placebonoun
- contraceptionnoun
- medicationnoun
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: small or usually round
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.