pallet

PA-liht

Pallet (noun) means a flat, portable platform used for stacking and moving goods, typically with a forklift. Example: “The warehouse workers loaded boxes onto a wooden pallet.”

noun

A flat, portable platform used for stacking and moving goods, typically with a forklift.

"The warehouse workers loaded boxes onto a wooden pallet."

"A full pallet of bottled water was delivered to the store."

A hard, makeshift, or simple bed, often just straw or a thin mattress on the floor.

"He slept on a pallet in the corner of the barn."

"The refugees were given blankets and a pallet to sleep on."

How to use pallet

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishMost often the wooden platform used to move stacked goods in warehouses; occasionally a simple straw bed.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with "palate" (the roof of the mouth or a sense of taste) or "palette" (an artist's board of paint colours) — all three sound alike but mean very different things.

Easily confused with

palate → palette →

Common pairings

a pallet of goods wooden pallet forklift pallet

Word forms

palleted past tense, pallets plural, pallets plural, pallets plural, pallets singular

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Fill the gap

Can you complete this real example?

The warehouse workers loaded boxes onto a wooden _____.

Etymology

From Old French paillete, "bundle of straw," from paille ("straw"), from Latin palea ("chaff") — the straw-bed sense came first; the shipping platform sense developed much later.

Origin: Latin

Synonyms

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palette

Related words

palette

Rhymes for pallet

mallet wallet ballet

See all rhymes for pallet →

Frequently asked questions

What does “pallet” mean?

The word “pallet” means a flat, portable platform used for stacking and moving goods, typically with a forklift. In plain terms, most often the wooden platform used to move stacked goods in warehouses; occasionally a simple straw bed.

How do you pronounce “pallet”?

“Pallet” is pronounced PA-liht (/ˈpælɪt/ in IPA).

How do you use “pallet” in a sentence?

Here is “pallet” used in a sentence: “The warehouse workers loaded boxes onto a wooden pallet.”

What part of speech is “pallet”?

“Pallet” is a noun.

Where does the word “pallet” come from?

The word “pallet” comes from Latin. From Old French paillete, "bundle of straw," from paille ("straw"), from Latin palea ("chaff") — the straw-bed sense came first; the shipping platform sense developed much later.

How many meanings does “pallet” have?

“Pallet” has 2 distinct senses listed in this dictionary. The most common is: a flat, portable platform used for stacking and moving goods, typically with a forklift.

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