noun
-
a fence made of pales
-
pales collectively
-
a single pale
-
the act of erecting pales
Etymology
Origin of paling
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; pale 2, -ing 1
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.
That said, the approach adds texture to a film set during Carnival, the festival’s vibrancy paling in comparison to the creative exuberance on display.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2025
What, you might ask, prompted this remark from the paling former personality?
From Salon • Feb. 25, 2023
But each of those fines was for just $6,949, paling in comparison to what Metcalf received for the incident with Baynes, and speaking to how the NFL views any verbal offenses directed at officials.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 22, 2022
Free agency is in its infancy in MLS, paling in the impact and intrigue that grips the NBA, NFL and MLB.
From Washington Post • Mar. 1, 2019
Frightened and bewildered, she stood biting her lip while Will did as his father told him, his face close up to the knifepoint in the paling dragonfly light.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
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.
