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

The inventory was there, but there was no reliable way to tell a picker which pallet or bin held it. — Ben Hussey, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026

The minimal furniture available is fashioned from wooden pallets that originally held aid parcels. — Ghada Abdulfattah, Christian Science Monitor, 25 Sep. 2026

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

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