pal

1 of 2

noun

ˈpal 

: a close friend

palship

ˈpal-ˌship 

noun

pal

2 of 2

verb

palled; palling

intransitive verb

: to be or become pals : associate as pals

they've palled around for years

Synonyms of pal

Noun

• friend
• buddy

Verb

• travel
• associate
• bond
• run
• hang (around or out)
• mix
• connect
• take up with
• rub shoulders (with)
• hook up
• mingle
• join
• company
• collaborate
• relate
• fall in with

Examples of pal in a Sentence

Noun

We've been pals since we were kids.

Come on—be a pal and lend me the money.

Verb

they began to pal around after discovering that they both had kids on the same soccer team

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Bush Hager echoed her pal's sentiment, noting that their common ground lent itself to a natural friendship from the start. —Alex Ross, PEOPLE, 20 Jan. 2026

Sitting nearby was John Barlow, Weir’s childhood pal and co-writer who was serving as road manager for the tour. —Ben Fong-Torres, Rolling Stone, 18 Jan. 2026

With the pick, everyone but Thicke now has a correct guess to their name — Jeong correctly guessed David Ortiz was Googly Eyes in the premiere, McCarthy-Wahlberg nabbed the Croissants, and Ora called out her longtime pal, Haddish. —Lauren Huff, Entertainment Weekly, 15 Jan. 2026

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck can relate, having grown up as childhood pals just outside Boston. —Patrick Ryan, USA Today, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Romani phral, phal brother, friend, from Sanskrit bhrātṛ brother; akin to Old English brōthor brother

First Known Use

Noun

circa 1886, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1875, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pal

• gal pal
• pal around with
• pal up
• pen pal

Rhymes for pal

• bal
• dal
• gal
• mal
• sal
• shall
• canal
• chorale
• corral
• ghazal
• locale
• morale

Kids Definition

pal

1 of 2 noun

ˈpal 

: a close friend

pal

2 of 2 verb

palled; palling

: to be or become pals

Legal Definition

PAL

abbreviation

passive activity loss