pail

noun

ˈpāl 

1

: a usually cylindrical container with a handle : bucket

a milk pail

2

: the quantity that a pail contains

a pail of water

pailful

ˈpāl-ˌfu̇l 

noun

Synonyms

• bucket

Examples of pail in a Sentence

A plastic beach pail was lying on the sand.

She poured a pail of water on the campfire.

Recent Examples on the Web

To complete the Chargers’ blue-collar mentality, black lunch pails were recently dropped at every locker. —Thuc Nhi Nguyen, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2024

If the 12-team CFP had started earlier, which low seeds could have made a run? 'Brought his lunch pail to work': Behind Islanders rookie Isaiah George's unexpected rise Mandel's Mailbag: Boise State 4-seed scenarios and the aftermath of Utah's Big 12 meltdown Could Jeff Hoffman start? —New York Times, 13 Nov. 2024

Naharin offers little context apart from a silver pail of dark sludge methodically smeared across the dancers’ faces, chests and thighs. —Lauren Warnecke, Chicago Tribune, 14 Feb. 2025

One of her chores was to get pails of water from a well. —Rukmini Callimachi, New York Times, 23 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English payle, paille

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pail

• slop pail

Rhymes for pail

• ail
• ale
• bail
• baile
• dail
• fail
• flail
• frail
• gael
• gail
• grail
• hail

Kids Definition

pail

noun

ˈpā(ə)l 

1

: a round container that is open at the top and has a handle : bucket

2

: the quantity held by a pail

fetch a pail of water