pellet

noun pel·let \ ˈpe-lət \

|Updated on: 21 Jul 2018

Examples: pellet in a Sentence

Definition of pellet

1 a : 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)

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pelletal

play \ˈpe-lə-tᵊl\ 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

Holtzman, 42, a construction worker, shrugged off his injuries, saying the pellets just burned.

— jonel aleccia and melissa bailey, USA TODAY, "Unlocked and loaded: Families confront dementia and guns," 1 July 2018
No one was hurt by the shotgun pellets, police said.

— bruce henderson, charlotteobserver, "Wendy's employee fires shotgun into customers' car at the drive-thru, cops say," 22 June 2018
The first target was a factory that processed discarded computer hardware into plastic pellets.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Thailand takes first step toward total ban of e-waste," 21 June 2018
Also contained within the pellets are the bacteria's food source: calcium lactate.

— sarah bowman, Indianapolis Star, "This is why bacteria could be the answer to your pothole prayers," 3 Apr. 2018
Investigators did not collect the pellet to try and match it to any guns.

— eric heisig, cleveland.com, "Akron man on probation for attempted murder found with guns, feds say," 28 Feb. 2018
Instead of your water bottle being turned into another beverage bottle, it’s shredded and formed into pellets that are used to make polyester or other materials like carpeting that will ultimately be sent to landfills.

— mandy ferreira, Sunset, "9 Things You Can Do to Stop Ocean Plastic Pollution," 22 Jan. 2018
The consequence of the collisions is that electrons get knocked off the crystals and join the pellets, and so the negative electric charge that all electrons carry starts to accumulate at the bottom of the cloud.

— helen czerski, WSJ, "A Crash Course in Summer Thunderstorms," 27 June 2018
This soft, watery blend of different ingredients often contains foods like meat, cereals, poultry and trout pellets, and shrimp, according to the Handbook of Avian Medicine.

— National Geographic, "What Does It Take to Raise a Flamingo?," 25 June 2018

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

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

pellet Synonyms

Synonyms

ball, bullet;

Near Antonyms

blank;

pellet

verb

Definition of pellet

transitive verb

1 : pelletize

2 : to strike with pellets

Recent Examples of pellet from the Web

Spread a light layer of compost or pelleted seed establishment mulch over the new seed to help keep it moist.

— tim johnson, chicagotribune.com, "Lawn thinning out beneath a cluster of trees? Too much shade could be wreaking havoc," 10 July 2018
Snow pellets form when supercooled water droplets are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes.

— meg jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Light snow showers and snow pellets possible today in southeastern Wisconsin," 21 Dec. 2017

First Known Use of pellet

1607

in the meaning defined at sense 1

See Words from the same year

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PELLET Defined for English Language Learners

pellet

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

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

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