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)
pelleted; pelleting; pellets
Synonyms
Examples of pellet in a Sentence
Noun
the tightly packed pellets of a shotgun cartridge
Recent Examples on the Web
Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
The largest global industrial wood pellet supplier filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, announcing its intention to cut about $1 billion of debt by restructuring agreements with creditors, including those who have invested heavily in new facilities.
—James Pollard, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024
Sacks of pellets and other grains line another wall of a storage room.
—Jess McHugh, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
The National Transportation Safety Board has said the crash was likely caused by an overheating bearing on a car carrying plastic pellets that caused the train to careen off the tracks.
—Josh Funk, The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024
Some ice pellets and snow could mix in, but no accumulation is expected.
—Max Golembo, ABC News, 5 Jan. 2024
The company grinds the plastic film into pellets, then mixes it with sawdust to create composite boards.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Opponents argue that the harvesting of forests and burning of wood pellets has a negative overall impact on carbon reserves, while polluting the poor, Black communities often located near the manufacturing plants.
—James Pollard, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024
The polypropylene plastic pellets will also be cleaned up.
—Joe Kottke, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2024
IEEE Spectrum, 16 Mar. 2011
Drawbacks: Testosterone pellets tenet to result in larger fluctuations in testosterone levels, require surgery to be replaced, and do not always result in optimal testosterone levels [12].
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Aug. 2023
The genius is in the replaceable head, where an aramid fiber pad is used to steam clean all types of grills ranging from gas to charcoal, to pellet grills and flat tops.
—John Thompson, Men's Health, 7 July 2023
NC State Veterinary Hospital recommends pelleted feed formulated specifically for chinchillas.
—Jo Yurcaba, Woman's Day, 23 Oct. 2019
Fill them with the tiny wood smoker pellets that look like rabbit feed to add a lengthy, thick smoke boost whenever it is needed.
—Chuck Blount, ExpressNews.com, 5 Aug. 2019
Spread a light layer of compost or pelleted seed establishment mulch over the new seed to help keep it moist.
—Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 10 July 2018
Snow pellets form when supercooled water droplets are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes.
—Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 21 Dec. 2017
Noun
The production of wood pellets used in the incinerators also pollutes.
—Letters To The Editor, The Mercury News, 4 Apr. 2024
The largest global industrial wood pellet supplier filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday, announcing its intention to cut about $1 billion of debt by restructuring agreements with creditors, including those who have invested heavily in new facilities.
—James Pollard, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024
Sacks of pellets and other grains line another wall of a storage room.
—Jess McHugh, Washington Post, 9 Mar. 2024
The National Transportation Safety Board has said the crash was likely caused by an overheating bearing on a car carrying plastic pellets that caused the train to careen off the tracks.
—Josh Funk, The Enquirer, 8 Mar. 2024
Some ice pellets and snow could mix in, but no accumulation is expected.
—Max Golembo, ABC News, 5 Jan. 2024
The company grinds the plastic film into pellets, then mixes it with sawdust to create composite boards.
—Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 19 Mar. 2024
Opponents argue that the harvesting of forests and burning of wood pellets has a negative overall impact on carbon reserves, while polluting the poor, Black communities often located near the manufacturing plants.
—James Pollard, Fortune, 13 Mar. 2024
The polypropylene plastic pellets will also be cleaned up.
—Joe Kottke, NBC News, 2 Mar. 2024
Verb
Extremely high temperatures inside the reactor in those first few days are believed to have melted parts of the zirconium alloy fuel rods and some of the uranium pellets themselves.
—IEEE Spectrum, 16 Mar. 2011
Drawbacks: Testosterone pellets tenet to result in larger fluctuations in testosterone levels, require surgery to be replaced, and do not always result in optimal testosterone levels [12].
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Aug. 2023
The genius is in the replaceable head, where an aramid fiber pad is used to steam clean all types of grills ranging from gas to charcoal, to pellet grills and flat tops.
—John Thompson, Men's Health, 7 July 2023
NC State Veterinary Hospital recommends pelleted feed formulated specifically for chinchillas.
—Jo Yurcaba, Woman's Day, 23 Oct. 2019
Fill them with the tiny wood smoker pellets that look like rabbit feed to add a lengthy, thick smoke boost whenever it is needed.
—Chuck Blount, ExpressNews.com, 5 Aug. 2019
Spread a light layer of compost or pelleted seed establishment mulch over the new seed to help keep it moist.
—Tim Johnson, chicagotribune.com, 10 July 2018
Snow pellets form when supercooled water droplets are collected and freeze on falling snowflakes.
—Meg Jones, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 21 Dec. 2017
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pellet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pellet
Cite this Entry
“Pellet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pellet. Accessed 19 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
pellet
noun
pel·let
ˈpel-ət 
: 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
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share