peeling

[ pee-ling ]

/ ˈpi lɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR peeling ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act of a person or thing that peels.

that which is peeled from something, as a piece of the skin or rind of a fruit.

Nearby words

peel-and-stick, peel-off, peele, peele, george, peeler, peeling, peelings, peely-wally, peen, peene, peenemünde

Origin of peeling

First recorded in 1555–65; peel¹ + -ing¹

Related forms

un·peel·ing, adjective

Definition for peeling (2 of 2)

peel

[ peel ]

/ pil /

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.

Origin of peel

before 1100; Middle English pelen, Old English pilian to strip, skin < Latin pilāre to remove hair, derivative of pilus hair. See pill²

SYNONYMS 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.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR peel ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

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

Can be confused

peal peel

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for peeling

Only the peeling paint and the crumbling walls hinted that, for these students, a different reality lay outside.
The Only Ballerinas In All Of Abkhazia|Anna Nemtsova|December 7, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Everybody knows it, that feeling of entering a park: peeling off the city streets and into that nourishing sense of calm.
In Praise of Parks|Isabel Wilkinson|October 27, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The journalist is focused on peeling away the layers and getting at the damaging truth.
How a Freelance Journalist Unraveled Jonah Lehrer’s Lies|Howard Kurtz|August 1, 2012|DAILY BEAST
Paint is peeling from the upper decks and each day new debris falls into the water.
Costa Concordia Mess Widens With Salvage Team, Criminal Probe|Barbie Latza Nadeau|January 24, 2012|DAILY BEAST

He was very interested in the internal workings and peeling back the layers.
Bill Condon and Melissa Rosenberg on 'Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn'|Marlow Stern|November 21, 2011|DAILY BEAST
Sashes all knock-kneed, panelling out of the square, or painters with their paint all blistering and peeling off.
Original Penny Readings|George Manville Fenn
Peeling consists in removing the outer coat by means of a narrow-bladed knife.
Birds and all Nature, Vol. V, No. 2, February 1899|Various
Nearly all the mineral salts of the potato are just under the outer skin, and are removed by the foolish habit of peeling them.
The Book of Life: Vol. I Mind and Body; Vol. II Love and Society|Upton Sinclair
When the bark was ready for peeling he intended to take a hand with the rest.
The Forest Exiles|Mayne Reid
The peeling complete, Albert Edward sat in the draughts of the inner chamber and waited for the bath.
Punch, or the London Charivari, Vol. 152, May 23, 1917|Various

British Dictionary definitions for peeling (1 of 5)

peeling

/ (ˈpiːlɪŋ) /

noun

a strip of skin, rind, bark, etc, that has been peeled offa potato peeling

British Dictionary definitions for peeling (2 of 5)

peel

/ (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 peeling (3 of 5)

peel

/ (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 peeling (4 of 5)

peel

/ (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 peeling (5 of 5)

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

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

Idioms and Phrases with peeling

peel

In addition to the idiom beginning with peel

peel off

also see:

keep one's eyes open (peeled)

peeling

noun

RELATED CONTENT

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of peeling

Related forms

Definition for peeling (2 of 2)

peel

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

noun

Verb Phrases

Origin of peel

SYNONYMS FOR peel

Related forms

Can be confused

Examples from the Web for peeling

British Dictionary definitions for peeling (1 of 5)

peeling

noun

British Dictionary definitions for peeling (2 of 5)

peel

verb

noun

Word Origin for peel

British Dictionary definitions for peeling (3 of 5)

peel

noun

Word Origin for peel

British Dictionary definitions for peeling (4 of 5)

peel

noun

Word Origin for peel

British Dictionary definitions for peeling (5 of 5)

Peel

noun

Derived Forms

Idioms and Phrases with peeling

peel