pallet

1 of 2

noun (1)

pal·​let ˈpa-lət 

1

: a portable platform for handling, storing, or moving materials and packages (as in warehouses, factories, or vehicles)

2

: a wooden flat-bladed instrument

3

: a lever or surface in a timepiece that receives an impulse from the escapement wheel and imparts motion to a balance or pendulum

pallet

2 of 2

noun (2)

1

: a straw-filled tick or mattress

2

: a small, hard, or temporary bed

Examples of pallet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

When summer turned to winter in Little Moreau Park, folks gathered around the frozen lake in their vehicles and threw wooden pallets on the ice to make a bonfire. — Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026

Together, the grants paid for 34 refrigeration devices, six food distribution vehicles, a dozen pallet jacks or forklifts, plus shelving and storage materials and hand trucks. — Sacbee.com, 7 Sep. 2026

Republicans displayed mock pallets of hundreds of millions of dollars in cash to highlight money lost in welfare fraud schemes. — Alex Derosier, Twin Cities, 6 Sep. 2026

The menu offers something for a wide assortment of pallets, from lobster salad and island creek oysters to beef fat fries and Italian sausage. — Hannah Hudnall, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle French palette, literally, small shovel — more at palette

Noun (2)

Middle English paillet, from Anglo-French paillete bundle of straw, from paille straw, from Latin palea chaff, straw; akin to Sanskrit palāva chaff

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Noun (2)

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pallet

• alate
• ballot
• fallot
• mallet
• palate
• palette
• shallot

Kids Definition

pallet

noun

pal·​let

ˈpal-ət

1

: a straw-filled mattress

2

: a small, hard, or temporary bed