Definition of peel
transitive verb
1
:to strip off an outer layer of
- peel an orange
2
:to remove by stripping
- peel the label off the can
intransitive verb
1 a
:to come off in sheets or scales
- The paint is peeling.
b
:to lose an outer layer (as of skin)
- His face is peeling.
2
:to take off one's clothes
- it got hotter … you had to peel to get relief
- —L. M. Uris
3
:to break away from a group or formation
—often used with off
- Like corals, the branches of sponges can peel off and reestablish themselves as new colonies. Natural History
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