pilling
pilling — noun
1. a small, firm lump of medicine that you swallow whole, usually with a drink of w
a small, firm lump of medicine that you swallow whole, usually with a drink of water.
The doctor told Tara to take one white pill before every meal.
take + [number] + pill before [time]
Grandpa keeps his heart pills in a small blue box by the sink.
These pills are too big for the child to swallow with water.
Tariq forgot to take his vitamin pill again this busy Monday morning.
The nurse counted out twelve pills and placed them in a paper cup.
文法句型
take a pill
用法筆記
Object of 'take' or 'swallow'; the verb is 'take a pill', never 'eat a pill'.
常見錯誤
2. a pill that a woman takes once a day to avoid getting pregnant.
a pill that a woman takes once a day to avoid getting pregnant.
Nadia takes the pill every morning so she will not get pregnant.
take the pill (contraceptive sense)
Many young women in the city now choose the pill over other methods.
The clinic gives free pill packets to students who ask for them.
Lena forgot the pill for two days and worried all weekend long.
Doctors warned that the pill may not work well with certain other drugs.
- contraceptive
any method used to prevent pregnancy, not only a pill
文法句型
be on the pill
用法筆記
Almost always used with 'the' and refers to oral contraception specifically; distinguish from sense 1, which is any medicine in pill form.
3. a person who is dull, irritating, or hard to be around.
a person who is dull, irritating, or hard to be around.
Everyone at the office thinks the new manager is a real pill.
be a real pill (informal)
Stop being such a pill and help us carry the heavy boxes.
My little brother was a complete pill during the whole car trip.
The waiter was such a pill that nobody left him any tip.
Tamar called her noisy neighbour a pill after another sleepless night.
文法句型
be a pill
用法筆記
Informal and slightly dated; usually a subject complement after 'be' ('he is a pill') rather than a direct address.
pilling — verb
- pillingpresent simple I / you / we / they
- pillings3rd person singular
- pillinging-ing form
- pillingedpast simple
1. (of cloth or a knitted item) to form tiny balls of fluff across the surface afte
(of cloth or a knitted item) to form tiny balls of fluff across the surface after being worn or washed.
Cheap wool sweaters often pill badly after just a few gentle washes.
[fabric] pills after washing
The new blue jumper started to pill around the elbows within a month.
Heather noticed that her favourite scarf had begun to pill at the edges.
Soft cotton shirts pill less than synthetic ones made from cheap fibre.
After many washes, the couch cushions pilled and felt rough to touch.
- bobble
chiefly British; of knitwear forming small surface balls
文法句型
[fabric] pills
用法筆記
Intransitive and takes no object; the subject is always the fabric or garment, never the person wearing it.