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paling

American  
[pey-ling] / ˈpeɪ lɪŋ /

noun

  1. Also called paling fence.  picket fence.

  2. a pale or picket for a fence.

  3. pales collectively.

  4. the act of building a fence with pales.

paling British  
/ ˈpeɪlɪŋ /

noun

  1. a fence made of pales

  2. pales collectively

  3. a single pale

  4. the act of erecting pales

"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 paling

Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; see origin at pale 2, -ing 1

Vocabulary lists containing paling

Vocabulary from history writings about the Triangle Factory Fire

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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.

Smaller subsidy amounts would be distributed until the Legislature acts, said Rachel Paling, the department’s communications director.

From Washington Times • May 12, 2018

Paling visibly, the young prince quickly stepped back.

From Time Magazine Archive

Paling could no where stand the force of the storm.

From An Account of the English Colony in New South Wales, Volume 1 With Remarks on the Dispositions, Customs, Manners, Etc. of The Native Inhabitants of That Country. to Which Are Added, Some Particulars of New Zealand; Compiled, By Permission, From The Mss. of Lieutenant-Governor King. by Collins, David

The usual road to it was by crossing the Dart at a ferry about a hundred yards above the house of Mrs. Paling.

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXIII by Wilson, John Mackay

"If you will not remain with us to-night," said the brother of Captain Paling, who had conducted him from the vessel to his mother's house, "I shall accompany you to the ferry."

From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland, Volume XXIII by Wilson, John Mackay

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

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.