pelt

1 of 4

noun (1)

1
: a usually undressed skin with its hair, wool, or fur
a sheep's pelt
2
: a skin stripped of hair or wool for tanning

pelt

2 of 4

verb (1)

pelted; pelting; pelts

transitive verb

: to strip off the skin or pelt of (an animal)

pelt

3 of 4

verb (2)

pelted; pelting; pelts

transitive verb

1
a
: to strike with a succession of blows or missiles
pelted him with stones
b
: to assail vigorously or persistently
pelted her with accusations
2
: hurl, throw
pelted snowballs at them
3
: to beat or dash repeatedly against
hailstones pelting the roof

intransitive verb

1
: to deliver a succession of blows or missiles
2
: to beat incessantly
3
: to move rapidly and vigorously : hurry
pelter noun

pelt

4 of 4

noun (2)

1
: blow, whack
2
chiefly British : a rapid pace : speed
usually used in the phrase full pelt
A friend still has the three lines up his legs where he ran full pelt into a barbed wire fence.John Woodhouse

Examples of pelt in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Verb
After dark, rock groups and rappers perform on the street, liter-bottles of lager circulate and attendees sometimes pelt images of (allegedly) corrupt politicians with red paint. Laurence Blair, New York Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Their days are taken up with shooting practice, lobster racing, pelting men with fruit, and slipping poison into unattended cups of tea. Radhika Seth, Vogue, 22 Feb. 2024 The race was delayed by a day due to the incessant rain that pelted Daytona International Speedway over the weekend. Scott Fowler, Charlotte Observer, 20 Feb. 2024 But the system could be very unstable, possibly resulting in brief thunderstorms like the one that also pelted South County with hail last week. Gary Robbins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Feb. 2024 Waiting for better shelter On a recent morning, freezing rain pelted the tarp of Sevcan Turk’s tent, located on a plot of land where at least another 15 families were staying. Nicole Tung, Washington Post, 5 Feb. 2024 By flinging droplets instead of producing a pee stream, sharpshooters save energy—pelting pee is actually four to eight times more efficient than the alternative, the researchers found. Carlyn Kranking, Smithsonian Magazine, 26 Dec. 2023 The rest of the match was a defensive slugfest on Mitty’s soggy pitch as the teams were pelted by rain. Nathan Canilao, The Mercury News, 1 Mar. 2024 Warplanes, ships and submarines have pelted missile-launch sites, radar installations and arsenals in Yemen used by Houthi militants to attack commercial ships in the Red Sea. USA TODAY, 30 Jan. 2024
Noun
Besides, their pelts are in bad condition at that time of year, and they are not hunted for food. Jennifer Dixon, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024 There were the pelts of small mammals and birds that hung in our garage — and from which my dad scavenged to make fishing flies. Susanne Rust, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Fur trappers, the almanac stated, used this time also to hunt beavers for their pelts. John Tufts, The Indianapolis Star, 2 Jan. 2024 Sea otters were nearly hunted to extinction in the 18th and 19th centuries for their pelts. Julia Jacobo, ABC News, 31 Jan. 2024 Kistler says the pelt may make a visit back home to the West Coast in 2025 for a meeting of the Coast Salish. Alicia Ault, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Jan. 2024 In addition, analyses of the animals’ bones and pelts suggest the bears were primarily eating plants—both before and after Europeans arrived in the region in 1542—which stands in stark contrast to their fearsome, hyper-carnivorous reputation. Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 Jan. 2024 Mutton’s pelt had been studied before, in the early 2000s, to help determine whether textiles held by various museums contained woolly dog fibers. Alicia Ault, Smithsonian Magazine, 16 Jan. 2024 Long persecuted for their pelts and reviled as pests, the dam-building rodents are today hailed by scientists as ecological saviors. Ben Goldfarb, WIRED, 28 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pelt.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Verb (1)

Middle English, probably from pelett animal skin, from Anglo-French pelette — more at peltry

Verb (2)

Middle English

First Known Use

Noun (1)

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (1)

1568, in the meaning defined above

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun (2)

circa 1540, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pelt was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near pelt

Cite this Entry

“Pelt.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pelt. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pelt

1 of 2 noun
: a usually unfinished skin with its hair, wool, or fur

pelt

2 of 2 verb
1
: to strike with a series of blows, missiles, or words
2
3
: to beat against again and again
4
: to move quickly
Etymology

Noun

Middle English pelt "skin and attached fur of an animal"

Verb

Middle English pelten "to hit with a series of blows, pelt"

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