pail
Americannoun
-
a bucket, esp one made of wood or metal
-
Also called: pailful. the quantity that fills a pail
Regionalisms
See bucket.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of pail
First recorded before 1000; Middle English payle “wooden container,” continuing Old English pægel “wine container, liquid measure” (of unknown origin; compare Middle Dutch, Low German pegel “half pint”), by association with Old French paielle “pan,” from Latin patella; see patella
Explanation
A pail is a round, open container with a handle. At the beach, you can use a pail to carry water and sand, and also to mold the towers of your sandcastle. You can also call a pail a bucket — although pail implies a smaller container, exactly the sort a child would use, along with a small shovel, when playing in a sandbox. You might also use a pail to catch drips from a leaky ceiling, or pour a small amount of paint into a pail when you're touching up the trim in your bedroom. This word comes from the Old French paelle, "cooking or frying pan."
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.
See Examples For:
Dan and Craig went up the hill to fetch a pail of glory.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
The complete lineup also included a green pail with a monster design, an orange one with a skeleton design and a white one with a mummy design.
From Salon ● Oct. 11, 2024
The simplicity of a brain plopped in a pail for scientific research becomes something of a mordant sight gag.
From New York Times ● Mar. 13, 2024
In one of the most touching scenes about art and understanding, Souad is asked to free-associate over simple, hypnotic footage she shot at home of water filling a pail.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 24, 2023
He stoked the fire, put coffee on, fed Mr. Whiskers a saucer of tinned milk, and fetched me another pail of water to fill the reservoir.
From "Hattie Big Sky" by Kirby Larson
These mosquitoes breed in stagnant water like pails, vases and flowerpot plates.
From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026
My invention is an improvement in dinner pails for workmen; and it consists in the peculiar construction and combination of devices that will be more fully set forth hereinafter.
From Salon ● Jan. 16, 2024
She suggests using old pails, lanterns, dough bowls, vases and apothecary jars to display the items.
From Seattle Times ● Nov. 15, 2023
The main message of the event is sustainability, with workshops on gardening and composting, where attendees can walk away with free compost kitchen pails as well as fruit and shade trees.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 1, 2023
“Two pails of good, fine, slick vegetable oil,” Jess announced.
From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques
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.
