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

During live burn training sessions, a bin is loaded with pallets and straw and then set on fire. —Janice Phelan, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2025

At least 20 people either drowned trying to retrieve the aid or were killed when pallets landed on them, according to Gaza health authorities. —Jane Arraf, NPR, 14 Feb. 2025

The brewery is able to squeeze in about 15 pallets on the floor of its 6,500-square-foot production area and stack them about 16 feet high. —Alicia Wallace, CNN, 12 Feb. 2025

People slept on floors or straw pallets, flicking aside mice and fleas. —Arthur Krystal, The New Yorker, 27 Jan. 2025

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