something that resembles a tablet of medicine in shape or size
"The child swallowed the round candy pill without noticing it was just a piece of gum shaped like a medicine tablet."
a unpleasant or tiresome person
"I really need to get away from that pill standing next to me at the checkout line."
something unpleasant or offensive that must be tolerated or endured
"his competitor's success was a bitter pill to take"
a contraceptive in the form of a pill containing estrogen and progestin to inhibit ovulation and so prevent conception
"After her partner started taking his medication, she decided to switch from condoms to taking the birth control pill every day."
A small, usually round or cylindrical object designed for easy swallowing, usually containing some sort of medication.
"The old fishing boats were moored safely in the quiet pill at the base of the cliff, protected from the rough waves outside."
The peel or skin.
An inlet on the coast; a small tidal pool or bay.
In plain English: A pill is a small, usually round medicine that you swallow to make you feel better.
"She took her daily pill with a glass of water before bed."
Usage: A pill is a small tablet containing medicine that you swallow to treat an illness. Do not use this word to describe a coastal inlet or tidal pool, which is actually called a cove.
Of a woven fabric surface, to form small matted balls of fiber.
"She used a special tool to pill the fuzz from her sweater after it started shedding in winter."
To peel; to remove the outer layer of hair, skin, or bark.
In plain English: To pill something means to remove its outer covering or peel it off.
"She decided to pill the data from her notes into a concise summary."
Usage: Use "pill" as a verb only when referring specifically to removing the outer layer of hair, skin, or bark from an object. In everyday conversation, most people use other verbs like "peel," "strip," or "scrape" instead.
A village in Pill and Easton-in-Gordano parish, North Somerset, Somerset, England (OS grid ref ST5275).
"My neighbor, Mr. Pill, invited me over for dinner last night."
A municipality of Tyrol, Austria.
A surname.
The word "pill" comes from the Middle English term pille, which was borrowed from Middle Low German and Middle Dutch before likely originating in the Latin words for ball (pila) or small lump (pilula). While its original meaning referred to a solid medicine, it has since traveled into modern slang through the phrase "red pill," where it now means to persuade someone of an uncomfortable truth.