pail

noun

1
: a usually cylindrical container with a handle : bucket
a milk pail
2
: the quantity that a pail contains
a pail of water
pailful noun

Examples of pail in a Sentence

A plastic beach pail was lying on the sand. She poured a pail of water on the campfire.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
In the clip, the newly platinum blonde actress held a shopping bag in one hand and a bright red pail in the other, walking down a beachy path. Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 27 Mar. 2025 The buckets are used as a replacement for the standard cardboard Happy Meal box and can double as a candy pail to use for trick-or-treating on Halloween. Endia Fontanez, The Arizona Republic, 2 Oct. 2024 Use your hand to brush away excess soil and place the bulbs in a garden pail. Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 23 Jan. 2025 Flora swirled the mop, then tiredly rested it in the pail. Sheila Heti, The New Yorker, 19 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for pail

Word History

Etymology

Middle English payle, paille

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pail was in the 14th century

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pail.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pail. Accessed 13 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

pail

noun
1
: a round container that is open at the top and has a handle : bucket
2
: the quantity held by a pail
fetch a pail of water

More from Merriam-Webster on pail

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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