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

Air Inuit’s new combi configuration—combining passengers and freight on the main deck—features a forward cargo compartment accommodating five pallets and an aft cabin that can seat up to 90 passengers. —Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 14 Jan. 2026

Some items are stored on shelves in cardboard boxes or on wood pallets. —Melissa Repko, CNBC, 12 Jan. 2026

Following the shooting, agitators took control of the street where the shooting took place and used makeshift barricades with chairs, trash cans, wood shipping pallets, bicycles and more. —Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 10 Jan. 2026

The assistant could analyze a photo of a pallet of supplies, for example, and calculate the quantity that would fit in a truck. —Nora Eckert, USA Today, 8 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