pail

noun

ˈpāl How to pronounce pail (audio)
Synonyms of pailnext
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 How to pronounce pail (audio)
noun

Synonyms

See all Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus 

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
When were the first McDonald's Boo Buckets sold? McDonald’s introduced the pails as part of the Halloween Pumpkin Happy Meal in 1986 with three pumpkin designs, all in orange. —Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Oct. 2024 This year, the pails come in a new color, blue, replacing last year's purple color. —Mike Snider, USA TODAY, 2 Oct. 2024 Ditch the plastic Halloween pail for a wicker basket, household bucket or pillowcase to carry the sweet stash. —Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 29 Oct. 2024 Boo Buckets are back with Happy Meals at McDonald’s restaurants today; and the popular Halloween trick-or-treat pail giveaways are already being listed for sale on eBay. —Cheryl V. Jackson, The Indianapolis Star, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pail 

Word History

Etymology

Middle English payle, paille

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pail was in the 14th century

Phrases Containing pail

Dictionary Entries Near pail

paik

pail

paillard

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Pail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pail. Accessed 1 Dec. 2024.

Copy Citation

Share

Kids Definition

pail

noun
ˈpā(ə)l How to pronounce pail (audio)
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

More from Merriam-Webster on pail

Nglish: Translation of pail for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of pail for Arabic Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See All

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)

Plural and Possessive Names: A Guide

The Difference Between 'i.e.' and 'e.g.'

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See All

Popular in Wordplay

See All

Terroir, Oenophile, & Magnum: Ten Words About Wine

8 Words for Lesser-Known Musical Instruments

10 Words from Taylor Swift Songs (Merriam's Version)

9 Superb Owl Words

15 Words That Used to Mean Something Different
See All

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Word Game Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
sweet smart pug puppy dog sitting in front of blackboard with chalk question marks
Commonly Confused Words Quiz Vol. 3 Do you have a (flare/flair) for choosing the righ...