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

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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

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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

Amicus’ “By the People” series concluded last month with a live conversation with a spectacular panel of heavy hitters: political organizer Stacey Abrams, constitutional law scholar Daphna Renan, and movement strategist Ilyse Hogue.

From Slate ● Nov. 5, 2026

A panel of Wall Street experts that advises Treasury on its debt management said separately that it expects changes in auction sizes would be needed sometime this fiscal year, which ends in September.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026

By 11 p.m. the decision had been reversed, with the court setting aside its previous ruling while it reviewed the case with a larger en banc panel.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 3, 2026

At one Washington conference on robotics, a top researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology kicked off a panel discussion with a disclaimer about his use of superintelligence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

“Welcome to our first event: the Library Cart Relay Race,” said Dr. Zinchenko, coming through another secret panel.

From "Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics" by Chris Grabenstein

"When solar panels were still relatively affordable, we bought one and kept moving it around to follow the sun," the 60-year-old, displaced by the fighting between Israel and Hamas, told AFP.

From Barron's ● Nov. 5, 2026

"Were they made earlier and kept until the moment of death? Were they painted at the time the deceased was buried? Were they panels that were hung in homes, in residences?" he asked.

From Barron's ● Nov. 3, 2026

A satellite on the terminator is positioned to have sunlight hitting its solar panels 24 hours a day for continuous power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 2, 2026

Dan also has solar panels, a camping stove, a tent, wood supplies and a propane fireplace insert that can run off grid - without electricity or wood.

From BBC ● Oct. 31, 2026

Framed in Stygian iron, the magical portal was a set of elevator doors—two panels of silver and black etched with art deco designs.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan

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

A formal dining room, paneled bar, spacious kitchen with a fireplace, and butler’s pantry make entertaining a breeze.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 13, 2026

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

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

Should he, as a poor out-of-work apprentice, go around back, or should he, as a long-lost something-or-other, raise that gleaming brass knocker on the paneled front door?

From "Johnny Tremain" by Esther Hoskins Forbes

Some questioned how realistic it was to build such tall pillars from which a glass panelled canvas drapes over the new stands and surrounding grounds.

From BBC ● Mar. 15, 2025

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

In Herman and Lizzie’s bedroom, on either side of the bedstead, there are two panelled doors, which lead to three tiny rooms.

From The New Yorker ● Jul. 22, 2019

In the mid-70s David Bowie sat in the same wood panelled room of Berlin’s Meistersaal, recording Low and Heroes.

From The Guardian ● May 11, 2019

If this had been an old house, with creaking wood, and dark shadows, and heavily panelled walls, there might have been an eerie feeling.

From "And Then There Were None" by Agatha Christie

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

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

The pine paneling was gone from the walls leaving just the furring strips.

From "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy

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

A state-of-the-art performance hall is being built, with ridged acoustic panelling and angled walls to ensure the best sound quality.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2023

These would be oak chests and cupboards with Gothic panelling and strange faces of men or angels—or devils—carved darkly upon them, black, bees-waxed, worm-eaten and shiny—gloomy testimonies to the old life in their coffinlike solidity.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

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Related Words

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