tablet

tablet — noun

1. a small, solid dose of medicinal substance that patients swallow to cure an illn

1.nounA2
Definition

a small, solid dose of medicinal substance that patients swallow to cure an illness or relieve a symptom.

Example

The doctor told Shirin to take one tablet after each meal.

collocation: take a tablet

These tablets contain vitamin C and zinc to help fight colds.

Common collocations
  • take a tablet
  • swallow a tablet
  • crush a tablet
  • dissolve a tablet
  • sleeping tablet
  • vitamin tablet
  • tablet form
  • tablet contains
  • dose of tablets
Synonyms
  • pill

    more general term for any small solid medicine

  • capsule

    a gel-like shell containing medicine, different in form from a hard tablet

  • lozenge

    meant to dissolve in the mouth, not swallowed whole

Grammar Patterns

tablet + of + substance

take + a/the tablet

article + tablet + for + condition

Usage Note

Commonly distinguished from 'capsule' (a gel-like shell) and 'lozenge' (meant to dissolve slowly in the mouth). A tablet is swallowed whole.

Common Mistakes

I need to buy a tablet for my headache at the computer store.
I need to buy a tablet for my headache at the pharmacy.
'tablet' meaning medicine is sold at a pharmacy, not a computer shop.
She dissolved the tablet under her tongue.
She let the lozenge dissolve under her tongue.
A tablet is swallowed; a lozenge is dissolved in the mouth.

2. a thin, flat section cut from stone, metal, clay, or wood, frequently carrying c

2.nounB2
Definition

a thin, flat section cut from stone, metal, clay, or wood, frequently carrying carved writing or decorative images.

Example

The museum displayed a stone tablet with ancient writing on it.

material: stone tablet + purpose: inscription

A bronze tablet outside the hall honours the village soldiers who died at war.

Common collocations
  • stone tablet
  • clay tablet
  • bronze tablet
  • marble tablet
  • wooden tablet
  • tablet of soap
  • tablet of chocolate
  • engraved tablet
  • inscribed tablet
  • commemorative tablet
Synonyms
  • slab

    a thicker, heavier flat piece, usually of stone or concrete

  • plaque

    a flat piece of metal or stone attached to a wall as a memorial

  • block

    a solid piece with more thickness; less flat than a tablet

  • bar

    used for soap, chocolate, or metal, suggesting a long rectangular shape

Grammar Patterns

tablet + of + material

stone/clay/bronze + tablet

tablet + of + soap/chocolate

Usage Note

When referring to soap or chocolate, 'tablet' describes a solid, bar-shaped block. For ancient writing materials, 'clay tablet' or 'wax tablet' refers to a portable writing surface used before paper.

Common Mistakes

She bought a tablet of bread from the bakery.
She bought a loaf of bread from the bakery.
'tablet' is not used for bread; use 'loaf' or 'block.'

3. a flat, portable computer with a touch screen that you control by touching it wi

3.nounB1
Definition

a flat, portable computer with a touch screen that you control by touching it with your fingers or a special pen, without needing a separate keyboard or mouse.

Example

Mira uses her tablet to read e-books during the train ride to work.

use tablet + for + gerund (purpose)

The teacher handed a tablet to each student for their research project.

Common collocations
  • use a tablet
  • tablet computer
  • touch screen
  • tablet user
  • tablet device
  • Android tablet
  • tablet app
  • tablet stand
  • tablet case
  • on a tablet
  • tablet screen
Synonyms
  • iPad

    brand-name for Apple's tablet; often used generically in casual speech

  • pad

    informal shortening of 'tablet computer' or 'iPad'

  • slate

    a less common term for a tablet-shaped device

Grammar Patterns

article + tablet + verb

on + a/the + tablet

use + a/the + tablet + for + gerund

Usage Note

Distinguished from a laptop by the lack of a physical keyboard and from a smartphone by the larger screen size (typically 7 to 13 inches). Often called simply 'tablet' for short.

Common Mistakes

My tablet ran out of battery, so I need to find a plug.
My tablet ran out of battery, so I need to find a power outlet.
'plug' refers to the physical connector; 'power outlet' or 'socket' is the wall fixture.
I bought a new tablet with a folding keyboard from the pharmacy.
I bought a new tablet with a folding keyboard from the electronics store.
A tablet computer is bought at an electronics store, not a pharmacy.

4. several sheets of paper bound together at one side or edge, forming a pad for ma

4.nounB1
Definition

several sheets of paper bound together at one side or edge, forming a pad for making notes or sketches.

Example

Padma pulled a tablet of paper from her bag and began to draw a sketch.

tablet + of + paper: material construction pattern

The waitress wrote our order on a small tablet and tore off the page.

Common collocations
  • writing tablet
  • drawing tablet
  • sketching tablet
  • tablet of paper
  • tear off a page
  • blank tablet
  • tablet pad
Synonyms
  • pad

    the more common modern word for a set of glued paper sheets

  • notepad

    the most common term outside formal stationery catalogues

  • sketchpad

    specifically for drawing; often spiral-bound

  • legal pad

    a large, yellow, lined pad used for writing notes

Grammar Patterns

tablet + of + paper

writing/drawing + tablet

tear + from + a + tablet

Usage Note

This sense is less common in modern everyday language, where 'notepad' or 'pad' is more frequent. 'Writing tablet' or 'drawing tablet' still appears in descriptions of stationery products.

Common Mistakes

I spilled coffee on my computer tablet.' (when meaning a paper pad)
I spilled coffee on my writing tablet.
'writing tablet' or 'pad' avoids confusion with the electronic device.

Word family

  • table
    nounA1
  • table
    verbB2
  • tabulate
    verbC1
  • tabular
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'Tablet' and 'pill' are the most general terms for small solid medicines you swallow. 'Capsule' refers specifically to a gel-like shell containing powder or liquid medicine — easier to swallow but often more expensive to produce. 'Lozenge' is meant to dissolve slowly in the mouth, typically for sore throats or coughs, and should not be swallowed whole. 'Tablet' is a compressed powder form: hard, dry, and swallowed with water. In British English, 'tablet' is the standard term on pharmacy labels, while American English uses 'pill' more broadly in everyday conversation. Example: 'The doctor prescribed a course of tablets for the infection' (BrE) vs 'The doctor gave me some pills for the infection' (AmE). For headache relief, both 'tablet' and 'pill' are interchangeable, but never substitute 'lozenge' for 'tablet' as they are used differently.

pill ↗capsule ↗lozengetablet ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • tablet form
  • tablet device
  • tablet computer

Phrases

  • a tablet of
  • on a tablet

Prepositions

  • on a tablet
  • from a tablet
  • in tablet form

Etymology

LatinOld FrenchMiddle EnglishEnglish

The word 'tablet' entered Middle English from Old French 'tablete', a diminutive of 'table' (a flat surface), which itself came from Latin 'tabula' meaning a board, plank, or writing surface. The original English sense (14th century) referred to a flat slab for writing or inscriptions. By the 15th century, it was applied to compressed medicinal doses, shaped like small flat disks. The paper-pad sense appeared in the 19th century, and the computer sense arrived in the early 2000s with the rise of touchscreen devices.