pellet

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noun pel·let \ˈpe-lət\

Definition of pellet

1a : a usually small rounded, spherical, or cylindrical body (as of food or medicine)b : a wad of indigestible material (as of bones and fur) regurgitated by a bird of prey
2 : any of various projectiles fired from a weapon (such as an air rifle)

pelletal

play \ˈpe-lə-t^əl\ adjective

See pellet defined for English-language learners

See pellet defined for kids

Examples of pellet in a Sentence

the tightly packed pellets of a shotgun cartridge

Recent Examples of pellet from the Web

Rice had been playing with a pellet gun in November 2014 when two white officers pulled up on him outside a Cleveland recreation center and killed him.

— paula rogo, Essence.com, "No Federal Charges For Officer That Killed John Crawford III For ‘Shopping While Black’," 12 July 2017
While the youths were camping near the Kaena Point Natural Area Reserve, at least 15 Laysan albatrosses were bludgeoned to death with a bat and machete and shot at with a pellet gun, according to prosecutors.

— jennifer sinco kelleher, The Seattle Times, "Hawaii prep school graduate faces sentencing for bird deaths," 6 July 2017
Every contradictory pellet of advice has been engineered to keep you searching for more.

— stella bugbee, The Cut, "I Hate This Book About Lifehacks, But I Can’t Stop Reading It," 30 June 2017
Last year India cracked down on protesters in Kashmir, shooting pellet guns at them and shutting off cellphone service.

— julia angwin, propublica, and hannes grassegger, Ars Technica, "Facebook’s secret rules mean that it’s OK to be anti-Islam, but not anti-gay," 28 June 2017
Tamir Rice, a boy of 12 in Cleveland, Ohio, shouldn't have been so immature as to play in a public with a pellet gun that looked like a more lethal weapon.

— laura mcknight, NOLA.com, "Armed robber sought for bank heist in Metairie," 27 June 2017
Coppet got out of Daley’s Toyota with the pellet pistol in hand, according to police, when a man pulled up next to him in his Buick and shot at the three with an actual pistol.

— david furones, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Ex-Aquinas DB Frank Coppet stable after Vandy players shot," 27 June 2017
The university was locked down for three hours, until police determined the report was sparked by a pellet gun.

— talia richman, baltimoresun.com, "Report of an armed person at Stevenson University 'appears to have been a hoax'," 26 June 2017
Some of the pellets are exported to Brazil, where they are reshaped into the plastic pouches...

— christopher m. matthews, WSJ, "The Shale Revolution’s Staggering Impact in Just One Word: Plastics," 25 June 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pellet.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of pellet

Middle English pelote, from Anglo-French, from Vulgar Latin *pilota, diminutive of Latin pila ball

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 14th century

See Words from the same year

pellet

verb pel·let

Definition of pellet

transitive verb
1 : pelletize
2 : to strike with pellets

First Known Use of pellet

1607

PELLET Defined for English Language Learners

pellet

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noun

Definition of pellet for English Language Learners

: a small, hard ball of food, medicine, etc.
: a small metal object that is shot from a gun

PELLET Defined for Kids

pellet

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noun pel·let \ˈpe-lət\

Definition of pellet for Students

1 : a little ball (as of food or medicine)
2 : a piece of small shot
3 : a wad of material (as bones and fur) that cannot be digested and has been thrown up by a bird of prey (as an owl)

Medical Dictionary

pellet

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noun pel·let \ˈpel-ət\

Medical Definition of pellet

: a usually small rounded or spherical body; specifically : a small cylindrical or ovoid compressed mass (as of a hormone) that is implanted subcutaneously for slow absorption into bodily tissues