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picket fence

American

noun

a fence consisting of pickets or pales nailed to horizontal stringers between upright posts.

picket fence British

noun

a fence consisting of pickets supported at close regular intervals by being driven into the ground, by interlacing with strong wire, or by nailing to horizontal timbers fixed to posts in the ground

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of picket fence

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

"I want children and the white picket fence with my amazing wife - I just want that normality. This is my gateway to doing it and I can't wait."

From BBC • Jan. 13, 2026

‘Gen Z would rather invest in index funds and travel the world than tie themselves to a 30-year mortgage and a picket fence.’

From MarketWatch • Nov. 25, 2025

A picket fence is trim, as are the schoolhouse’s large windows.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 31, 2025

Goranson: In a Connerian way — is that a new term? — no one’s getting the white picket fence in the suburbs unless it’s way in the suburbs.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2025

Harlan bleated, rushing toward the white picket fence.

From "The Milagro Beanfield War" by John Nichols

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023