(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 3000 most common words in English.
1.
Pills are small solid round masses of medicine or vitamins that you swallow without chewing.
Why do I have to take all these ~s?
...sleeping ~s.
= tablet
N-COUNT
2.
If a woman is on the ~, she takes a special ~ that prevents her from becoming pregnant.
She had been on the ~ for three years.
N-SING: the N
3.
If a person or group has to accept a failure or an unpleasant piece of news, you can say that it was a bitter ~ or a bitter ~ to swallow.
You’re too old to be given a job. That’s a bitter ~ to swallow.
PHRASE: N inflects
4.
If someone does something to sweeten the ~ or sugar the ~, they do it to make some unpleasant news or an unpleasant measure more acceptable.
He sweetened the ~ by increasing wages, although by slightly less than he raised prices.
PHRASE: V inflects