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

That is, until heavily armed goons arrive to steal a pallet of gold bars. —Mark Kennedy, Boston Herald, 20 June 2025

And rather than directly handing the boxes to people, the group’s workers instead dump them on pallets and watch crowds swarm over them. —Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 19 June 2025

The structure would store tractors, fertilizers, and pallets of seeds while lowering electrical costs. —Melanie Stetson Freeman, Christian Science Monitor, 22 Apr. 2025

There are pallets of frozen water bottles, bricks and concrete conveniently located for the rioters to access. —Reader Commentary, Baltimore Sun, 13 June 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