pallet

1 of 2

noun (1)

pal·​let ˈpa-lət 

1

: a portable platform for handling, storing, or moving materials and packages (as in warehouses, factories, or vehicles)

2

: a wooden flat-bladed instrument

3

: a lever or surface in a timepiece that receives an impulse from the escapement wheel and imparts motion to a balance or pendulum

pallet

2 of 2

noun (2)

1

: a straw-filled tick or mattress

2

: a small, hard, or temporary bed

Examples of pallet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Working through an entire day and night, the pair construct an elaborate means of floating the heavy boxes down a river on a raft built from wooden pallets, steel drums, and propane tanks. — Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 17 Sep. 2026

Many showed up every morning, unloading pallets of potatoes, working the front desk, helping others who came for food. — Claire Galofaro, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026

When summer turned to winter in Little Moreau Park, folks gathered around the frozen lake in their vehicles and threw wooden pallets on the ice to make a bonfire. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Together, the grants paid for 34 refrigeration devices, six food distribution vehicles, a dozen pallet jacks or forklifts, plus shelving and storage materials and hand trucks. — Sacbee.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle French palette, literally, small shovel — more at palette

Noun (2)

Middle English paillet, from Anglo-French paillete bundle of straw, from paille straw, from Latin palea chaff, straw; akin to Sanskrit palāva chaff

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pallet

• alate
• ballot
• fallot
• mallet
• palate
• palette
• shallot

Kids Definition

pallet

noun

pal·​let

ˈpal-ət

1

: a straw-filled mattress

2

: a small, hard, or temporary bed