Illustration of palm
- 1palm 1
1
: any of a family (Palmae synonym Arecaceae) of mostly tropical or subtropical monocotyledonous trees, shrubs, or vines with usually a simple stem and a terminal crown of large pinnate or fan-shaped leaves
2
: a leaf of the palm as a symbol of victory or rejoicing
also
: a branch (as of laurel) similarly used
4
: an addition to a military decoration in the form of a palm frond especially to indicate a second award of the basic decoration
1
: the somewhat concave part of the human hand between the bases of the fingers and the wrist or the corresponding part of the forefoot of a lower mammal
2
: a flat expanded part especially at the end of a base or stalk (as of an anchor)
3
[Latin palmus, from palma]
: a unit of length based on the breadth or length of the hand
4
: something (such as a part of a glove) that covers the palm of the hand
5
: an act of palming (as of cards)
palmed; palming; palms
1
a
: to conceal in or with the hand
palm a card
b
: to take or pick up stealthily
c
: to hand stealthily
palmed him a dollar bill
2
: to impose by fraud
a second imposter to be palmed upon you—
Sir Walter Scott
Sir Walter Scott3
: to touch with the palm: such as
a
: to stroke with the palm or hand
b
: to allow (a basketball) to come to rest momentarily in the hand while dribbling thus committing a violation
Examples of palm in a Sentence
Noun (1)
the judges' decision was unanimous: the palm would go to the pianist who had played an early piece by Chopin
Verb
The store's owner had seen one of the girls palm a lipstick before heading for the door.
To do the card trick, you have to learn to palm one of the cards.
He was called for palming the ball.
The kick was palmed away by the goalkeeper.
Recent Examples on the Web
Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
This on-the-edge-of-death thriller appears to deliver on every front—from the ever-alluring Fan Bingbing who lends a cool authority Neeson’s stoic presence, to the set pieces engineered to make your palms sweat, to the thread of grief and trauma that gives the action some ballast.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
The result was the same — chaos in the six-yard box that restricted Altay Bayindir, who palmed the ball straight onto Calafiori’s forehead.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for palm
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Noun
Location Grand Hotel Fasano sits on the shores of Lake Garda, set within a lush 130,000-square-foot park teeming with palm and banana trees.
—Susmita Baral, Travel + Leisure, 7 Sep. 2025
This on-the-edge-of-death thriller appears to deliver on every front—from the ever-alluring Fan Bingbing who lends a cool authority Neeson’s stoic presence, to the set pieces engineered to make your palms sweat, to the thread of grief and trauma that gives the action some ballast.
—Travis Bean, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Verb
Slicing this way makes the lemons easier to palm.
—Mary Catherine McAnnally Scott, Southern Living, 5 Sep. 2025
The result was the same — chaos in the six-yard box that restricted Altay Bayindir, who palmed the ball straight onto Calafiori’s forehead.
—Anantaajith Raghuraman, New York Times, 21 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for palm
Cite this Entry
“Palm.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palm. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
1
: any of a family of mostly tropical or subtropical woody trees, shrubs, or vines usually with a simple but often tall stem topped by a crown of very large feathery or fan-shaped leaves
2
a
: a palm leaf especially when carried as a symbol of victory or rejoicing
b
: an emblem of success or triumph
palm
2 of 3 noun1
: the underside of the hand between the fingers and the wrist
2
: a measure of length based on the width or length of the palm
palm
3 of 3 verb
: to conceal in or pick up secretly with the hand
Etymology
Noun
Old English palm "palm tree," from Latin palma "palm of the hand"; so called because the leaves resemble an outstretched hand
Noun
Middle English paume "palm of the hand," from early French paume (same meaning), from Latin palma "palm of the hand"
Medical Definition
palm
noun
: the somewhat concave part of the human hand between the bases of the fingers and the wrist or the corresponding part of the forefoot of a lower mammal
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