Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

See What's Trending Now See More Trending Words
1

pelt

play
noun \ ˈpelt \

Definition of pelt

1 :a usually undressed skin with its hair, wool, or fur
  • a sheep's pelt
2 :a skin stripped of hair or wool for tanning

People Are Reading

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066
alt-59c52d6ee2f72
Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'
alt-59c448f88ea38
Trending: Kim Jong Un: Trump a 'Dotard'
young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

Origin and Etymology of pelt

Middle English, probably from pelett animal skin, from Anglo-French pelette — more at peltry

Other Fur and Leather Terms

chamois, fell, kip

2

pelt

verb

Definition of pelt

transitive verb
:to strip off the skin or pelt of (an animal)

Origin and Etymology of pelt

see 1pelt

Other Hunting and Fishing Terms

chum, covert, creel, flense, pitfall, seine, skulk, spoor, trawl

3

pelt

verb

Definition of pelt

transitive verb
1 a :to strike with a succession of blows or missiles
  • pelted him with stones
b :to assail vigorously or persistently
  • pelted her with accusations
2 :hurl, throw
  • pelted snowballs at them
3 :to beat or dash repeatedly against
  • hailstones pelting the roof
intransitive verb
1 :to deliver a succession of blows or missiles
2 :to beat incessantly
3 :to move rapidly and vigorously :hurry
—

pelter

noun

Origin and Etymology of pelt

Middle English

4

pelt

noun

Definition of pelt

:blow, whack

First Known Use of pelt

circa 1540

PELT Defined for Kids

1

pelt

play
noun \ ˈpelt \

Definition of pelt for Students

:a skin of an animal especially with its fur or wool
2

pelt

verb

Definition of pelt for Students

pelted; pelting
1 :to hit with repeated blows
2 :to repeatedly throw (something) at
  • Children pelted each other with snowballs.
3 :to beat or pound against something again and again
  • Rain pelted on the roof.

Learn More about pelt

  1. See words that rhyme with pelt Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for pelt Spanish Central: Translation of pelt Nglish: Translation of pelt for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pelt

Seen and Heard

What made you want to look up pelt? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

WORD OF THE DAY

legerity

play

alert quickness of mind or body

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. dotage, dotard a state or period of senile decay

  2. otherwise "in other respects"

  3. federalism Graham says bill gives power to states

  4. bodega "Don’t mess with the beloved bodega."

  5. carceral Of, relating to, or suggesting a jail or prison

SEE ALL

BROWSE DICTIONARY

pelt

Test Your Vocabulary

Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

  • young-plant-shoots
  • Which of the following is a new sense of the word bunny?
True or False

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ
Syn City

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

alt-59c52d6ee2f72
Breathing Life Into 'Inspire'

The word's origins are quite literal

alt-59c4207ecf106
Let's Talk 'Tea'

Spill it, sip it: just make it hot.

image1644821030
8 Words and Phrases from Boxing and Wrestling

Common terms that come from boxing and wrestling

alt-59c2960017c94
The Ambiguity of Pushing 'Up' and 'Back'

When you push a meeting, where does it go?

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

young-plant-shoots
Merriam-Webster's New Words Quiz—Fall 2017 Edition!

You're going to have to memorize the dictionary again.

Take the quiz
stylized-drawing-of-woman-pole-vaulting-across-gap-to-get-trophy
Challenging Vocabulary Quiz Returns!

No tricks, just difficult words.

Take the quiz
True or False
True or False?

Test your knowledge - and maybe learn something along the way.

Take the quiz
Syn City
Syn City

Build a city of skyscrapers—one synonym at a time.

Play the game