Definitions
01medicine
A2 · Elementary Countable noun Medicine
n. a small, solid piece of medicine that you swallow whole.
n. a small, typically round or cylindrical medicated mass intended to be swallowed whole.
日本語:錠剤※
“The doctor told him to take one pill every morning with a glass of water.”
“The patient was prescribed a daily pill to manage his blood pressure, with strict instructions not to skip any doses.”
02birth control
B1 · Intermediate Uncountable noun Medicine
n. a medicine taken by women to prevent becoming pregnant.
n. an oral contraceptive medication, typically referred to with the definite article as 'the pill'.
日本語:ピル※
Español:píldora anticonceptiva
“She went to the clinic to talk to her doctor about starting the pill.”
“Since the introduction of the pill in the 1960s, reproductive healthcare and social norms have shifted significantly.”
Usage
Usually used with 'the' as in 'the pill'.
Synonyms
03annoying person
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Informal
n. a person who is very annoying or unpleasant to be around.
n. a person perceived as disagreeable, tedious, or socially tiresome.
“Stop complaining about everything; you are being such a pill today.”
“Although he was a brilliant architect, his colleagues found him to be a bit of a pill during long project meetings.”
Antonyms
04fabric fuzz
C2 · Proficiency Countable noun Technical
n. a tiny ball of fibers that forms on the surface of clothes or blankets.
n. a small ball of matted fibers formed on the surface of a textile through friction or wear.
“This old sweater is covered in pills and needs to be cleaned.”
“Low-quality synthetic blends are particularly prone to developing pills after only a few cycles in the washing machine.”
Synonyms
05to form fuzz balls
C2 · Proficiency Technical
v. when clothes get small, annoying balls of fluff on them after being worn or washed.
v. to form small matted balls of fiber on the surface of a fabric, typically due to abrasion.
“I stopped wearing that scarf because the wool started to pill almost immediately.”
“The manufacturer claimed the new fabric blend would not pill, yet customers reported surface wear within weeks of purchase.”
Usage
Intransitive verb.
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “pill” in context.
Verb
01. be on the pill
“She has been on the pill for several years to manage her hormonal symptoms.”
verb + prep + noun
02. prescribe a pill
“My GP decided to prescribe a pill to help lower my blood pressure.”
verb + noun
03. swallow a pill
“The doctor told me to swallow the pill with a full glass of water.”
verb + noun
Adjective
04. bitter pill
“Losing his job was a bitter pill to swallow after ten years of service.”
adj + noun
05. sleeping pill
“He took a sleeping pill because he was struggling with insomnia.”
adj + noun
Noun
06. course of pills
“You must finish the entire course of pills even if you feel better.”
noun + of + noun
07. pill bottle
“Make sure you keep the pill bottle out of the reach of children.”
noun + noun
Real-World Examples
“Ahead of a red carpet event for the hit series Heroes, she has said someone on her team handed her a pill to help amp up her energy.” “A new weight loss pill from Wegovy is now available to buy privately from High Street and online pharmacies in the UK - but is not yet on the NHS.” Etymology
* From Middle English pille (also pillem), a borrowing from Middle Low German pille or Middle Dutch pille (whence Dutch pil), probably from Latin pila, pilula. * (persuade or convince): Generalized from red pill.
From Middle English pillen, pilen, from Old English pilian (“to peel”), from Latin pilō (“depilate”), from pilus (“hair”). Doublet of peel.
From Middle English pill, pyll, from Old English pyll (“a pool, pill”), from Proto-Germanic pullijaz (“small pool, ditch, creek”), diminutive of Proto-Germanic pullaz (“pool, stream”), from Proto-Indo-European *bl̥nos (“bog, marsh”). Cognate with Old English pull (“pool, creek”), Scots poll (“slow moving stream, creek, inlet”), Icelandic pollur (“pond, pool, puddle”). More at pool.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/pill
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「日本語」「カタカナ語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0