peel

[ peel ]

/ pil /

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verb (used with object)

to strip (something) of its skin, rind, bark, etc.: to peel an orange.

to strip (the skin, rind, bark, paint, etc.) from something: to peel paint from a car.

Croquet. to cause (another player's ball) to go through a wicket.

verb (used without object)

(of skin, bark, paint, etc.) to come off; become separated.

to lose the skin, rind, bark, paint, etc.

Informal. to undress.

Metallurgy. (of a malleable iron casting) to lose, or tend to lose, the outer layer.

noun

the skin or rind of a fruit, vegetable, etc.

Metallurgy. the presence of a brittle outer layer on a malleable iron casting.

Verb Phrases

peel off,

to remove (the skin, bark, etc.) or be removed: The old skin peeled off.
Aeronautics. to leave a flying formation of aircraft with a banking turn, usually from one end of an echelon.
Informal. to turn off or leave (a road): We peeled off the highway onto a dirt road.
to remove (clothing) in a swift upward or downward motion.

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Idioms about peel

keep one's eyes peeled, Informal. to watch closely or carefully; be alert: Keep your eyes peeled for a gas station.

Origin of peel

First recorded before 1100; Middle English pilen, pillen, pilien “to strip off, remove,” Old English pilian “to strip, skin” (unrecorded), or Old French pillier, peler, from Latin pilāre “to remove hair, pluck, scalp,” derivative of pilus “hair”; see pill²

synonym study for peel

1. Peel, pare agree in meaning to remove the skin or rind from something. Peel means to pull or strip off the natural external covering or protection of something: to peel an orange, a potato. Pare is used of trimming off chips, flakes, or superficial parts from something, as well as of cutting off the skin or rind: to pare the nails; to pare a potato.

OTHER WORDS FROM peel

peel·a·ble, adjectiveun·peel·a·ble, adjectiveun·peeled, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH peel

peal, peel

Words nearby peel

peegee hydrangea, peek, peekaboo, peekapoo, Peekskill, peel, peel-and-stick, Peele, peeler, peeling, peel-off

Other definitions for peel (2 of 4)

peel²

[ peel ]

/ pil /

noun

a shovellike implement for putting bread, pies, etc., into the oven or taking them out.

Metallurgy. a long, shovellike iron tool for charging an open-hearth furnace.

Origin of peel

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English pele, pale, pile “baker's shovel,” from Old French pele, pale, from Latin pāla “long-handled spade, shoulder blade”; see palette

Other definitions for peel (3 of 4)

peel³

or pele

[ peel ]

/ pil /

noun

a small fortified tower for residence or for use during an attack, common in the border counties of England and Scotland in the 16th century.

Origin of peel

First recorded in1350–1400; Middle English pel, pele, peil “defensive palisade, fortress,” from Anglo-French pel, pele “stockade” and Middle French pel “stake,” from Latin pālus “stake, post”; see pale², pole¹

Other definitions for peel (4 of 4)

Peel

[ peel ]

/ pil /

noun

Sir Robert, 1788–1850, British political leader: founder of the London constabulary; prime minister 1834–35; 1841–46.

a seaport on W Isle of Man: castle; resort.

a river in N Yukon Territory and NW Northwest Territories, Canada, flowing E and N to the Mackenzie River. 425 miles (684 km) long.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use peel in a sentence

I do my best to use organic herbs and spices, and if I’m adding citrus peel, I scrub the citrus before peeling.
Mix your own delicious herbal tea using leftover spices|By Kristy Mucci/Saveur|December 4, 2020|Popular-Science
You can swap in candied orange peel, or any standard candied fruit mix.
Tutti frutti makes these buttery orange cookies look and taste like a party|Hetal Vasavada|December 2, 2020|Washington Post
It’s patent-pending, and based on the most popular peel I did in my office.
The skin care brand striving to make medical-grade topicals both more luxe and accessible|Rachel King|November 29, 2020|Fortune
All wood products shrink and swell as moisture in the air shifts, and if there is a lot of shrinking and swelling, paint has to shrink and swell, too, or it cracks and peels.
Why does the paint keep peeling on my bathroom vanity?|Jeanne Huber|November 23, 2020|Washington Post

Back in the late 2000s, he began showing school children how to raise worm farms in boxes, by feeding them organic waste like banana peels.
With backing from Hollywood, French startup Ÿnsect plans to bring edible insects to America|Vivienne Walt|October 12, 2020|Fortune
I thought it was so sweet of them, and I had to peel it off her.
Joan Rivers: The Playboy Bunnies Weren’t Sluts!|Patty Farmer|November 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For me as an actor, too, it was nice to be able to peel another layer off her and realize that this is something that she wants.
Julianna Margulies's Favorite 'The Good Wife' Scenes|Julianna Margulies|August 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So rich and delicious, so dark and layered with coffee and hazelnuts, toffee, orange peel, cigar box.
Why Maya Angelou Loved Sherry, The Drink of Brilliant Renegades|Jordan Salcito|June 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To top with a flamed orange twist, hold a piece of orange peel about the size of a silver dollar, skin side down, over the drink.
The Rise and Fall…and Rise Again of the Old-Fashioned|Allison McNearney|June 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Holding the match a few inches above the drink, quickly squeeze the peel in the direction of the match.
The Rise and Fall…and Rise Again of the Old-Fashioned|Allison McNearney|June 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the late eighties he returned to his native island, settled at Peel, and became a magnate there.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
Down coast, and Whitehaven; the manager of the company was my friend, and would allow the steamer to drop me at Peel.
Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland|Joseph Tatlow
In what respect has the subsequent conduct of Sir Robert Peel been inconsistent with these declarations?
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, No. CCCXXXIX. January, 1844. Vol. LV.|Various
He planted an ambush in the early morning, and let the hay lie till the peel men had gone out to cut their crop.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
After some consultation, these noble lords considered it advisable to offer the first place to Sir Robert Peel.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III.|E. Farr and E. H. Nolan

British Dictionary definitions for peel (1 of 4)

peel¹

/ (piːl) /

verb

(tr) to remove (the skin, rind, outer covering, etc) of (a fruit, egg, etc)

(intr) (of paint, etc) to be removed from a surface, esp through weathering

(intr) (of a surface) to lose its outer covering of paint, etc esp through weathering

(intr) (of a person or part of the body) to shed skin in flakes or (of skin) to be shed in flakes, esp as a result of sunburn

croquet to put (another player's ball) through a hoop or hoops

keep one's eyes peeled or keep one's eyes skinned to watch vigilantly

noun

the skin or rind of a fruit, etc

Word Origin for peel

Old English pilian to strip off the outer layer, from Latin pilāre to make bald, from pilus a hair

British Dictionary definitions for peel (2 of 4)

peel²

/ (piːl) /

noun

a long-handled shovel used by bakers for moving bread, in an oven

Word Origin for peel

C14 pele, from Old French, from Latin pāla spade, from pangere to drive in; see palette

British Dictionary definitions for peel (3 of 4)

peel³

/ (piːl) /

noun

(in Britain) a fortified tower of the 16th century on the borders between England and Scotland, built to withstand raids

Word Origin for peel

C14 (fence made of stakes): from Old French piel stake, from Latin pālus; see pale ², paling

British Dictionary definitions for peel (4 of 4)

Peel

/ (piːl) /

noun

John, real name John Robert Parker Ravenscroft . 1939–2004, British broadcaster; presented his influential Radio 1 music programme (1967–2004) and Radio 4's Home Truths (1998–2004)

Sir Robert. 1788–1850, British statesman; Conservative prime minister (1834–35; 1841–46). As Home Secretary (1828–30) he founded the Metropolitan Police and in his second ministry carried through a series of free-trade budgets culminating in the repeal of the Corn Laws (1846), which split the Tory party

Derived forms of Peel

Peelite, noun

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 Idioms and Phrases with peel

peel

In addition to the idiom beginning with peel

peel off

also see:

keep one's eyes open (peeled)

peel

Idioms about peel

Origin of peel

synonym study for peel

OTHER WORDS FROM peel

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH peel

Words nearby peel

Other definitions for peel (2 of 4)

Origin of peel

Other definitions for peel (3 of 4)

or pele

Origin of peel

Other definitions for peel (4 of 4)

Words related to peel

How to use peel in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for peel (1 of 4)

Word Origin for peel

British Dictionary definitions for peel (2 of 4)

Word Origin for peel

British Dictionary definitions for peel (3 of 4)

Word Origin for peel

British Dictionary definitions for peel (4 of 4)

Derived forms of Peel

Other Idioms and Phrases with peel