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 system has the ability to show warehouse operators how much of the warehouse is occupied, whether products and pallets are in the right location, how storage conditions seem and more. —Meghan Hall, Sourcing Journal, 30 Dec. 2025

Not far away, on a concrete pad, a stack of wood pallets was ablaze, the flames whipping around in a heavy wind. —IEEE Spectrum, 24 Dec. 2025

At Sysco's massive facilities, like the Houston headquarters, cases of pre-cut vegetables and pallets of non-perishables fill shelves that stretch more than 50 feet high, ready to be shipped out to restaurants across the country. —Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 16 Dec. 2025

The combined total reaches 144 pallets, weighing 68 tons. —Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 16 Dec. 2025

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