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

Every minute, a new pallet of roof shingles rolls off assembly lines in this cavernous factory south of Atlanta. —Zachary Hansen, AJC.com, 23 Feb. 2026

Club 672 is named for the number of bottles a standard wine pallet can hold and is limited to that many members. —Mike Desimone, Robb Report, 17 Feb. 2026

City workers worked fast to clear the block, loading tents, pallets, chairs and refuse into the dump truck. —Grant Stringer, Mercury News, 15 Feb. 2026

By performing frequent, autonomous inventory scans, the drones provide operators with near real-time visibility into pallet locations and dwell times. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Feb. 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