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

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

An EFL panel also docked the club four points for this season.

From BBC ● Sep. 21, 2026

A panel of CIOs from Indeed, New York Life and Cencora discuss operational efficiency, financial waste and the need to implement “control towers.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

The panel could put consider proposals for independent third parties to write safety plans or for companies to develop an emergency shutoff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 18, 2026

During the public meeting, the jaded panel members admitted several times that the science supporting the compounded substances was inadequate.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026

After a second, the panel lit up, and he keyed in what had to be a twenty-digit code.

From "Glitch" by Laura Martin

The Human Rights Foundation had organized numerous panels at the convention to make clear that such faith is a privilege of the developed world.

From Slate ● Sep. 20, 2026

Examples include liquid-crystal panels used in projectors and optical chips found in telecommunications systems.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 18, 2026

In the lawsuit, Lineage said that Altus Power, which operated a network of solar panels on the warehouse roof as a tenant, was responsible for the fire.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026

Its panels of fiberglass-reinforced polymer are ingenious, significantly lightening the weight of a daringly cantilevered structure near the San Andreas fault in the Exposition Park neighborhood of South L.A.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 16, 2026

Each time Naima cleaned the rickshaw, she imagined scenes the rickshaw painter might invent once these panels faded.

From "Rickshaw Girl" by Mitali Perkins

The eatery features Midcentury Modern touches with curved cherry wood walls and paneled ceilings, as well as illuminated white onyx Corian surfaces.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

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

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

Reluctantly, she left her room and made her way along the gloomy paneled corridor to the head of the stairs where she paused to listen.

From "Atonement" by Ian McEwan

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

From The New Yorker ● Feb. 11, 2019

As she completes this story, Feilding leads me into the main house itself, with its panelled walls and huge stone fireplaces and Ottoman rugs and tapestries.

From The Guardian ● Feb. 10, 2019

It was a business suite, small but luxurious, with dark wood- panelled walls, thick patterned carpet and a mahogany desk.

From The Verge ● Jun. 17, 2018

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

She said it could involve a presentation of toys and other items among the chamber’s leather benches and hardwood paneling, followed by a nationwide tour.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 25, 2026

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

Before entering the property, guests are greeted with a coastal facade emphasized by blue and white paneling.

From MarketWatch ● Feb. 12, 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

The waning sun cut across the room from the window, throwing a buttery light on the paneling and the wooden filing cabinets.

From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu

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

However, Mr Nejrup said noise-limiting measures taken at the premises had included moving the outdoor smoking area and the use of acoustic panelling in the downstairs club area.

From BBC ● Jan. 15, 2025

Those fragments that do impact the planet might include internal panelling and some metal parts, such as fuel and pressure tanks.

From BBC ● Feb. 20, 2024

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

From BBC ● Jan. 26, 2023

The girls nodded, kicking the wood panelling below the take-out window.

From "Typical American" by Gish Jen

Related Words

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