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

For example, the robot can identify potential safety hazards, such as an unstable pallet or an overloaded shelf, and report them so the issues are addressed. —Liam Rappleye, USA Today, 31 Jan. 2026

Turning my living room into one giant slumber party with a floor pallet. —Tara Massouleh McCay, Southern Living, 31 Jan. 2026

The sweet shop used cardboard as a liner in the one-door display cooler and on the pallet storing dry goods for sale. —Veronica Fernandez-Alvarado january 30, Sacbee.com, 30 Jan. 2026

In a typical winter, the store would have up to four different kinds of deicing salt, 20 pallets or more, with each pallet holding 50 or more bags. —Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 29 Jan. 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