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  • pal
    pal
    noun
    a friend or close associate; chum; comrade.
  • PAL
    PAL
    noun
    a special air service offered by the U.S. Postal Service for sending parcels from 5 to 30 pounds (2.3 to 13.5 kilograms) to overseas members of the armed forces: only the regular parcel post rate to the U.S. port of shipment plus $1 is charged.
  • pal.
    pal.
    abbreviation
    paleography.
  • Pal.
    Pal.
    abbreviation
    Palestine.
Synonyms

pal

1 American  
[pal] / pæl /

noun

pals plural
  1. a friend or close associate; chum; comrade.

  2. an accomplice.


verb (used without object)

palled, palling
  1. to associate as comrades or chums.

    to pal around with the kid next door.

PAL 2 American  
[pal] / pæl /

noun

  1. a special air service offered by the U.S. Postal Service for sending parcels from 5 to 30 pounds (2.3 to 13.5 kilograms) to overseas members of the armed forces: only the regular parcel post rate to the U.S. port of shipment plus $1 is charged.


PAL 3 American  
Or P.A.L.

abbreviation

  1. Police Athletic League.


pal. 4 American  

abbreviation

  1. paleography.

  2. paleontology.


Pal. 5 American  

abbreviation

  1. Palestine.


pal 1 British  
/ pæl /

noun

  1. a close friend; comrade

  2. an accomplice

"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

verb

  1. (intr; usually foll by with or about) to associate as friends

"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
Pal. 2 British  

abbreviation

  1. Palestine

"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

PAL 3 British  
/ pæl /

acronym

  1. phase alternation line: a colour-television broadcasting system used generally in Europe

"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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

Etymology

Origin of pal1

First recorded in 1675–85; English Romani: “brother, mate,” variant of continental Romani phral, ultimately from Sanskrit bhrātṛ “brother”; see brother

Origin of PAL2

P(arcel) A(ir) L(ift)

Explanation

A pal is a good friend. When you're feeling nervous, sad, or lonely after moving to a new town, it can make you feel better to talk to a pal. If you have a friend you think of as a buddy or a mate, that's a pal. Your earliest pals are often the kids in your neighborhood or at school. As you get older, you have the chance to meet more pals — and when you're friendly with these pals and hang out with them, you can say you "pal around" with them. Pal is originally a Romany word meaning "brother," from the Sanskrit bhrata, also "brother."

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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.

See Examples For:

It only occurred to me recently that Sarandon was 44 years old when she played Louise, the pal who pulled the trigger.

From Salon Jul. 26, 2026

Joe Biden had called him a pal during a 2022 visit.

From The Wall Street Journal Jul. 23, 2026

After fulfilling her contract with the Columbia label, the singer signed last year to Warner Records, where an old high school pal, Tim Hinshaw, oversees a boutique label called Free Lunch.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 23, 2026

British artists Ed Sheeran -- another Swift pal -- and Paul McCartney may also go on stage.

From Barron's Jul. 1, 2026

We rush down the hill toward the glade and the sycamore hollow to see if my pen pal has written the next chapter of our story.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

"If all robot production goes to Japan or China, that could be a big problem when it comes to sovereignty," said Francesco Ferro, chief executive of Spain's PAL Robotics.

From Barron's Jun. 19, 2026

Researchers measured the activity of protective enzymes including APX, SOD, PAL, and POD, while also analyzing gene expression linked to antioxidant defense systems.

From Science Daily May 23, 2026

The Mitchells will have to learn to work together though when an evil AI named PAL decides to take revenge on humanity by launching them into space.

From Salon Dec. 24, 2025

It added that Air Canada Jazz, PAL Airlines and Air Canada Express flights were unaffected by the strike.

From BBC Aug. 16, 2025

The PAL pilot waggled his wings, and Rick followed as the air liner throttled down, swung between mountain peaks, and threaded its way down a wide valley.

From The Golden Skull by Goodwin, Harold L. (Harold Leland)

“Once you’ve been out there shivering with someone, they’re your pal. You are connected in a certain way,” she adds.

From Washington Times May 3, 2023

“Goodbye, old pal. Thank you ... for so much brilliance in the theatre and sharing your music with us all.”

From Los Angeles Times Nov. 26, 2021

Sixteen-time World Champion Taylor tweeted: "What terrible news to wake up to what a nice friendly man. KyleDarts RIP pal. Thoughts go to all your family."

From BBC Aug. 24, 2021

“Um, step aside, pal. You’re way too young and buff and you know it.”

From Fox News Apr. 2, 2020

“You know,” Yossarian remembered, “a very funny thing happened—maybe I dreamed it. I think a strange man came in here before and told me he’s got my pal. I wonder if I imagined it.”

From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller

Robert of Gloucester: "With helm and hauberk;" and Dryden, Pal. and Arc. iii.

From Select Poems of Thomas Gray by Carruthers, Robert

See Rostagno in the preface to his edition of this manuscript in the Leyden series, and for the Pliny, Chatelain, Pal. des Class.

From A Sixth-Century Fragment of the Letters of Pliny the Younger A Study of Six Leaves of an Uncial Manuscript Preserved in the Pierpont Morgan Library New York by Lowe, E. A. (Elias Avery)

And true it is, that as men liue, so commonlie they die: for, as one saith verie well: M. Pal. in suo scor. —— bona nulla scelestis Et iustis mala nulla quidem contingere possunt.

From Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (4 of 12) Stephan Earle Of Bullongne by Holinshed, Raphael

To be bréefe, he plaied in all points the right part of a tyrant, and shewed himselfe such a one in all respects as mainteined his title, Pal. in suo cap.

From Chronicles of England, Scotland and Ireland (2 of 6): England (6 of 12) Richard the First by Holinshed, Raphael

Would James return home to Cleveland, return to Miami, possibly join pals Stephen Curry and Draymond Green at Golden State?

From Barron's Jul. 24, 2026

He declined to elaborate on their relationship, but encouraged everyone to kiss their pals, of all genders, with the vigor of an artist who is finally, truly, free.

From Los Angeles Times Jul. 22, 2026

She has previously described him, external as "one of my best pals".

From BBC Jul. 4, 2026

In interspersed interviews, Knoxville and his pals reminisce about their time together with a distinct wistfulness.

From The Wall Street Journal Jun. 29, 2026

“Look, it’s no use quarreling among ourselves. We should be thinking of a solution. Come on, you two, stop sulking and be pals again.”

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

In the early 1960s, when Robert Duvall was struggling to make it in New York City, he palled around with a couple of fellow actors also trying to find their way in the business.

From The Wall Street Journal Feb. 16, 2026

Billionaires Bill Gates and Peter Thiel palled around with Epstein long after his conviction, as did Kathryn Ruemmler, one of the top lawyers in the Obama administration, who is now General Counsel at Goldman Sachs.

From Slate Nov. 20, 2025

He cracked corny jokes, flubbed lines to prepared speeches and kept important business people waiting while he palled around with schoolchildren.

From Seattle Times Apr. 20, 2023

She relished learning about religious traditions and sorting through classic theological dilemmas, but eventually the course palled.

From Los Angeles Times Apr. 19, 2022

In the game, even as they sat at different computers, they palled around, hanging out mostly together, going on virtual quests.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel

A magic bottle grants wishes, including palling around with Peyton Manning and Post Malone.

From New York Times Feb. 11, 2024

Swift, 33, and Kelce have been palling around for the better part of a month after the football star revealed in late September that he “threw the ball in her court.”

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 19, 2023

Plus, Musk might be a bit busy to be palling around with the powerful in snowy Switzerland.

From Seattle Times Jan. 17, 2023

But what good is palling around with people in a sprawling, interconnected virtual space if you can’t feel the “world” around you?

From Washington Post Jan. 5, 2022

Once, in the middle of a dense stand of oak, they came face-to-face with three men palling a load of firewood in an ax cart, with no way for either to get around.

From "A Clash of Kings" by George R.R. Martin

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