panel

American  

[pan-l] / ˈpæn l /

noun

• panels
  plural

1. a distinct portion, section, or division of a wall, wainscot, ceiling, door, shutter, fence, etc., especially of any surface sunk below or raised above the general level or enclosed by a frame or border.

2. a comparatively thin, flat piece of wood or the like, as a large piece of plywood.

3. a group of persons gathered to conduct a public discussion, judge a contest, serve as advisers, be players on a radio or television game, or the like.

   a panel of political scientists meeting to discuss foreign policy.

4. a public discussion by such a group.

5. Law.

   1. a list of persons summoned for service as jurors.

   2. the body of persons composing a jury.

   3. (in Scotland) the person or persons arraigned for trial.

6. a mount for or a surface or section of a machine containing the controls and dials.

7. Electricity. a switchboard or control board, or a division of a switchboard or control board containing a set of related cords, jacks, relays, etc.

8. a broad strip of material set vertically in or on a dress, skirt, etc.

9. Painting.

   1. a flat piece of wood of varying kinds on which a picture is painted.

   2. a picture painted on such a piece of wood.

10. (in Britain) a list of approved or cooperating doctors available to patients under a health insurance program.

11. Aeronautics. a lateral subdivision of an airfoil with internal girder construction.

12. Engineering, Building Trades.

    1. the space on the chord of a truss between any two adjacent joints made by principal web members with the chord.

    2. the space within the web of a truss between any two such joints and a corresponding pair of joints or a single joint on an opposite chord.

13. the section between the two bands on the spine of a bound book.

14. Mining. an area of a coal seam separated for mining purposes from adjacent areas by extra thick masses or ribs of coal.

15. a pad placed under a saddle.

16. a pad, cloth, or the like, serving as a saddle.

17. a pane, as in a window.

18. a slip of parchment.

19. a photograph much longer in one dimension than the other.

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verb (used with object)

• panels,
  present (3rd person singular)
• paneled,
  past participle,  past
• panelled,
  past participle,  past (especially British)
• paneling,
  present participle
• panelling
  present participle (especially British)

1. to arrange in or furnish with a panel or panels.

2. to ornament with a panel or panels.

3. to set in a frame as a panel.

4. to select (a jury).

5. Scots Law. to bring to trial.

panel British  

/ ˈpænəl /

noun

1. a flat section of a wall, door, etc

2. any distinct section or component of something formed from a sheet of material, esp of a car body, the spine of a book, etc

3. a piece of material inserted in a skirt, dress, etc

4. 1. a group of persons selected to act as a team in a quiz, to judge a contest, to discuss a topic before an audience, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a panel game

5. a public discussion by such a group

   a panel on public health

6. law

   1. a list of persons summoned for jury service

   2. the persons on a specific jury

7. Scots law a person indicted or accused of crime after appearing in court

8. 1. a thin board used as a surface or backing for an oil painting

   2. a painting done on such a surface

9. any picture with a length much greater than its breadth

10. See instrument panel

11. 1. a list of patients insured under the National Health Insurance Scheme

    2. a list of medical practitioners within a given area available for consultation by these patients

12. informal receiving sickness benefit, esp from the government

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verb

1. to furnish or decorate with panels

2. to divide into panels

3. law

   1. to empanel (a jury)

   2. (in Scotland) to bring (a person) to trial; indict

Grammar

See collective noun.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• subpanel
  noun
• repanel
  verb (used with object)
• unpaneled
  adjective
• unpanelled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• panels
  plural

Participles

• paneling
  present
• panelling
  present
• paneled
  past
• panelled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• panel
  simple
• panels
  simple
• have paneled
  perfect
• have panelled
  perfect
• has paneled
  perfect
• has panelled
  perfect
• am paneling
  progressive
• am panelling
  progressive
• are paneling
  progressive
• are panelling
  progressive
• is paneling
  progressive
• is panelling
  progressive
• have been paneling
  perfect progressive
• have been panelling
  perfect progressive
• has been paneling
  perfect progressive
• has been panelling
  perfect progressive

Past

• paneled
  simple
• panelled
  simple
• had paneled
  perfect
• had panelled
  perfect
• was paneling
  progressive
• was panelling
  progressive
• were paneling
  progressive
• were panelling
  progressive
• had been paneling
  perfect progressive
• had been panelling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will panel
  simple
• will have paneled
  perfect
• will have panelled
  perfect
• will be paneling
  progressive
• will be panelling
  progressive
• will have been paneling
  perfect progressive
• will have been panelling
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of panel

First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old French panel “a piece (of anything),” diminutive of pan “piece of cloth or the like”; see pane, -elle

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Explanation

If you are participating in some kind of contest, it is not ethical to bribe the judges on the panel with brownies. On the other hand, don’t stick your tongue out at them either, since they’ll be determining the winner. Panel is derived from Old French and originally meant “a piece of cloth.” It’s still used as a sewing term, but now it has additional meanings. It can mean “jury,” as above, and can also refer to a flat piece of a hard surface, often rectangular, such as the wood panel of a door or wall. Panel is also a verb meaning "to install panels." Finally, a control panel has a lot of switches and is a way to make some machines work.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

panel panels paneled panelled paneling panelling

Circuit Court of Appeals, but in April 2025, a divided three-judge panel affirmed the dismissal, agreeing with the district court that Salazar’s newsletter subscription didn’t make him a subscriber under the law.

From Slate ● Oct. 17, 2026

The panel found Burwood told the woman she would not be able to take her on outings if she could not access her money.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

And as an external panel appointed by Warsh begins considering the best path forward, at least one area is ripe for change — the way the Fed communicates about the economic outlook.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 16, 2026

We did a “social reformers” panel, where you had to play somebody from a social movement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 2026

I wasn’t quite sure if she was participating in the final panel or not.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

Jergens makes industrial hardware such as clamps and quick-release pins that lock everything from aircraft panels to concert speakers into position.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

The cause of the fire was not determined, but Los Angeles Fire Department investigators could not rule out the solar panels on the roof.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 2026

The hearing was scheduled to span 14 panels with dozens of speakers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 5, 2026

Now aged 28 with a job in politics at a cross-party think tank, she's spoken in parliament, sits on discussion panels and presents social media videos.

From BBC ● Oct. 5, 2026

The dash resembles something from a retro sci-fi movie, a spaceship’s control panels or Doc Brown’s modified DeLorean.

From "Legendary Frybread Drive-In" by Cynthia Leitich Smith

Cameras stand at either end of the pool and solar paneled lighting stations are spread out on the sidewalk along the pool’s edge.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 22, 2026

There’s also a two-story, paneled library; extra rooms on the lower level for play and recreation; a home gym; and an indoor pool.

From MarketWatch ● Mar. 25, 2026

One room contains four giant paneled canvases measuring more than 10-by-7 feet, with Murakami’s interpretations of work by the ukiyo-e masters Kitagawa Utamaro and Torii Kiyonaga.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 18, 2026

There was paneled wood around the whole room, which had the exact same vibe as the last courtroom I’d been in—the vibe of ‘this is not a place you want to end up.’

From Slate ● May 12, 2024

She slid it open and stared down the hallway to where the brightness of the lamps sent long flickering shadows dancing across the paneled wood before her eyes.

From "Finding Junie Kim" by Ellen Oh

Some questioned how realistic it was to build such tall pillars from which a glass panelled canvas drapes over the new stands and surrounding grounds.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2025

It includes a panelled corridor, rare historic glazed advertising, a stone fireplace and a hatch through which drinks are fetched.

From BBC ● Jun. 15, 2022

One of the most distinctive features of the handsome Prince Alfred pub in Maida Vale is the panelled dividers which you have to duck under to move from bar to bar.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 23, 2019

In Herman and Lizzie’s bedroom, on either side of the bedstead, there are two panelled doors, which lead to three tiny rooms.

From The New Yorker ● Jul. 22, 2019

If this had been an old house, with creaking wood, and dark shadows, and heavily panelled walls, there might have been an eerie feeling.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

High Park Farm also looms large in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Exhibit, with a whole section configured to look like the inside of their farmhouse: wood paneling, quaint lighting, faux windows.

From Salon ● Jun. 23, 2026

Working together, the couple removed the shag carpeting and wood paneling from the first floor and the stairway, installing drywall in their place.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 21, 2026

From the outside, the home features white paneling, lush greenery, and a striking red door, complete with an American flag hanging in front of the garage.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 18, 2026

"Over time, it grew. We've seen really strong growth through the years," Ara Khanikian, who supervises visual effects at Rodeo FX, told AFP at the studio's current home, a modern office with elegant wood paneling.

From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026

But Yum Li looked around at his peeling wood paneling, laminated menus, and hanging plants, and said, “What, more classy than this?”

From "Liar & Spy" by Rebecca Stead

A pool journalist allowed to tour the inside of the plane reported that it features leather seats, plush carpets, wooden panelling and walls colored tan and light brown with shades of gold.

From Barron's ● Jun. 19, 2026

More premium design options including fitted booth seating and "reeded timber panelling" were also chosen despite the project increasing in cost.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

Slightly shabby and old school, with its wood panelling, trophy cabinets and a carpet that has seen better days, it does a roaring trade with a younger, after-work crowd.

From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2025

Now volunteer researchers have discovered a musketball hole hidden amidst plaster work and wooden panelling.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2024

These would be oak chests and cupboards with Gothic panelling and strange faces of men or angels—or devils—carved darkly upon them, black, bees-waxed, worm-eaten and shiny—gloomy testimonies to the old life in their coffinlike solidity.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

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