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 paneling, present participle panelling present participle

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

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

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

“The trial court abused its discretion by considering incompetent evidence in support of the temporary injunction,” the three-judge panel wrote.

From Salon ● Jul. 25, 2026

The three-judge panel sharply questioned the Justice Department’s legal claims, saying little had changed since the government last petitioned the court to have the agreement dissolved in 2020 — a request that was rejected.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

Several people who work for clinics or businesses selling peptides are on the panel, which will continue deliberating on Friday.

From BBC ● Jul. 24, 2026

The panel assembled to advise the US Food and Drug Administration backed semax and epitalon on Friday.

From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026

It didn’t matter how good he had looked up there, how expertly he had run the panel.

From "Night Owls" by A.R. Vishny

The sleek, futuristic-looking, white and yellow vehicle boasts solar panels on the roof that power its engine but also medical devices from x-ray machines to defibrillators.

From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026

Some of the eco-friendly schemes at the site include efficient heat pumps, solar panels and the collection of spare water from bathroom sinks and rainfall.

From BBC ● Jul. 20, 2026

They’re from melting insulation foam and whatever it is that gets airborne when fire assails solar panels.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

Colored-pencil illustrations evoke a faded softness, while comic-style panels zoom in, frame by frame, as different actions unfold.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Just then it seemed my chamber-door was touched; as if fingers had swept the panels in groping a way along the dark gallery outside.

From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë

The replica included a podium on one side with wood paneled furniture flanked by gold curtains to display where lawmakers would traditionally sit.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 10, 2026

“Public rooms on the main level include a living room, grand entrance foyer, formal dining room, wood paneled library, and areas perfect for staff or home office,” reveals the listing.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 17, 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

We were at the top of the stairs now, in another paneled hallway.

From "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer

In the five-minute hearing, Ms McEvoy, who appeared in a glass- panelled dock flanked by two security officers, was told by district Judge Peter Veits: "These are very serious allegations you are facing."

From BBC ● Dec. 2, 2022

As the clock ticked past midday, I waited in the first minister's walnut panelled office for Nicola Sturgeon to give her first interview on the scandal.

From BBC ● Feb. 25, 2021

The long, panelled corridors streamed with seven-year-old girls in pink satin.

From The Guardian ● Jul. 20, 2019

The panelled walls were scarred with the carved signatures of literary men—Walter Winchell’s was the biggest.

From The New Yorker ● Feb. 11, 2019

At first, Joseph thought the panelled office was empty, but then he saw someone standing by the gothic windows, on the other side of a massive desk.

From "The Marvels" by Brian Selznick

Large solar developments can transform hundreds, or even thousands, of acres of rural land, paneling them with crystalline silicon and tempered glass.

From Salon ● Apr. 27, 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

She learned a lot about high-precision concrete, including the chemistry, equipment, mixing process and molding required to make urban benches, lighting and facade paneling.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 7, 2025

This was a large rectangular room, with walnut paneling, a walnut desk, leather chairs, and walls lined to the ceiling with books.

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

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

These included opting for new fitted booth seating and "reeded timber panelling" instead of more basic options.

From BBC ● Apr. 3, 2026

He said it left plasterwork and wood panelling in the newbuild home badly damaged.

From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2023

Finnish company Planno is already making fabrics that have built-in solar panelling.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2022

The wall dividing our side of the house from the bar was made from shiny sheets of fake wood panelling, but the rest of the walls were rough, splintery boards painted pale green.

From "When I Was Puerto Rican" by Esmeralda Santiago

Related Words

• board
• bureau
• cabinet
• commission
• forum
• group
• jury
• task force
• tribunal