pail

noun

1
: a usually cylindrical container with a handle : bucket
a milk pail
2
: the quantity that a pail contains
a pail of water
pailful noun

Examples of pail in a Sentence

A plastic beach pail was lying on the sand. She poured a pail of water on the campfire.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Foreshadowing the Future One of the young coaches present when Foster first introduced the pail was graduate assistant Brent Pry. Christina Daves, Southern Living, 31 Aug. 2025 In Delhi, some of the millions of devotees could be seen, holy water balanced in pails, or containers hanging from each end of the kanwar pole that gives the festival its name. Aishwarya S. Iyer, CNN Money, 25 July 2025 That’s lunch, muse of lunch pails, bentos, picnic baskets, dosirak, tiffins. Lauren Collins, New Yorker, 21 July 2025 As the Hornets’ future at center, he’ll be tasked with doing plenty of the dirty work and other inevitable duties like setting screens, and seemed to have no problem with the lunch pail mentality. Roderick Boone updated July 11, Charlotte Observer, 12 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for pail

Word History

Etymology

Middle English payle, paille

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pail was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pail. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.

Kids Definition

pail

noun
1
: a round container that is open at the top and has a handle : bucket
2
: the quantity held by a pail
fetch a pail of water

More from Merriam-Webster on pail

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