picket fence

American

noun

a fence consisting of pickets or pales nailed to horizontal stringers between upright posts.

picket fence British

noun

a fence consisting of pickets supported at close regular intervals by being driven into the ground, by interlacing with strong wire, or by nailing to horizontal timbers fixed to posts in the ground

"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

Etymology

Origin of picket fence

An Americanism dating back to 1790–1800

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.

See Examples For:

picket fence

You would like to get married, have 2.5 kids and buy a house with a white picket fence.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 2026

Owning a house with a white picket fence?

From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026

A picket fence is trim, as are the schoolhouse’s large windows.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 31, 2025

A two-storey houseboat - complete with a white picket fence - was towed through San Francisco Bay after the owners were asked to leave Redwood City marina.

From BBC ● Apr. 10, 2024

It’s enclosed by two barriers—a white picket fence on the interior, and the carnivorous thicket on the exterior.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023