pannier

noun

pan·​nier ˈpan-yər 

ˈpa-nē-ər

variants or less commonly panier

1

: a large container: such as

a

: a basket often carried on the back of an animal or the shoulders of a person

b

: one of a pair of packs or baskets hung over the rear wheel of a vehicle (such as a bicycle)

2

a

: one of a pair of hoops formerly used to expand women's skirts at the sides

b

: an overskirt draped at the sides of a skirt for an effect of fullness

Illustration of pannier

• pannier 2b

Examples of pannier in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Davis, wearing a particularly Bo Peep-y set of pink panniers, turns the character into a masterpiece of clownery, sulking delightfully and throwing magnificent tantrums while her arrangement of topknots—the hair designer is Robert Pickens—bounces on her head like a prize curly lamb. —Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 18 Dec. 2025

Baskets and wicker panniers lay piled up in a corner. —Literary Hub, 9 Dec. 2025

All around them, new approaches to corsetry and panniers touch antique styles of dress with a thoroughly modern sense of movement—and more than a little magic. —Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2025

Accessories like panniers, a trailer, a phone holder, and rear-view mirrors are also available as optional extras. —New Atlas, 22 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English panier, from Anglo-French paner, panier, from Latin panarium, from panis bread — more at food

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

pannier

noun

pan·​nier ˈpan-yər 

ˈpan-ē-ər

: a large basket

especially : one carried on the back of an animal or the shoulder of a person

Medical Definition

pannier

noun

pan·​nier ˈpan-yər, ˈpan-ē-ər 

: a covered basket holding surgical instruments and medicines for a military ambulance