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

Nearly a month later, not far from Hot Skates and near the Long Island Rail Road tracks, Theresa's body was discovered, beaten, raped and strangled, buried under a pile of leaves and wooden shipping pallets. —Mary Murphy, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2026

Use upcycled wood pallets to build an inexpensive privacy fence. —Kristin Hohenadel, The Spruce, 24 Apr. 2026

Island ports reopened to commercial traffic this week, and the Coast Guard delivered pallets of water and supplies to areas that had been cut off. —Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026

Each missile is secured on pallets equipped with release modules that control timing and sequencing. —Sujita Sinha, Interesting Engineering, 21 Apr. 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