pill

Universal Words noun, verb noun 1 [C] a small flat round piece of medicine that you swallow without chewing it: a vitamin pill * Take three pills daily after meals. * (informal) pill-popping (= the act of taking too many pills or using illegal drugs) seealsoPEPPILL, SLEEPINGPILL 2 (the pill or the Pill) [sing.] a pill that some women take to prevent them becoming pregnant: the contraceptive pill * to be / go on the pill seealsoMORNING-AFTERPILL 3 [C] (AmE) an annoying person IDIOMS sugar / sweeten the pill to do sth that makes an unpleasant situation seem less unpleasant SYNSUGAR-COAT moreatBITTERadj. verb [V] (of a piece of clothing, especially one made of wool) to become covered in very small balls of FIBRE