pall

1 of 3

verb (1)

ˈpȯl 

palled; palling; palls

intransitive verb

1

: to lose strength or effectiveness

2

: to lose in interest or attraction

his humor began to pall on us

He found that his retirement hobbies began to pall after a couple of years.

3

: dwindle

our enthusiasm soon palled

transitive verb

1

: to cause to become insipid

reason and reflection … pall all his enjoyments

—Francis Atterbury

2

: to deprive of pleasure in something by satiating

The choicest delicacies pall the stomach in time.

pall

2 of 3

noun

1

: pallium sense 1a

2

a

: a square of linen usually stiffened with cardboard that is used to cover the chalice

b(1)

: a heavy cloth draped over a coffin

(2)

: a coffin especially when holding a body

3

a

: something that covers or conceals

especially : an overspreading element that produces an effect of gloom

a pall of thick black smoke

a pall of suspicion

b

: a feeling of gloom

his absence cast a pall over the celebration

pall

3 of 3

verb (2)

palled; palling; palls

transitive verb

: to cover with a pall : drape

Synonyms

Verb (1)

• abate
• de-escalate
• decline
• decrease
• die (away or down or out)
• diminish
• drain (away)
• drop (off)
• dwindle
• ease
• ebb
• fall
• fall away
• lessen
• let up
• lower
• moderate
• phase down
• ratchet (down)
• rachet (down)
• recede
• relent
• remit
• shrink
• subside
• taper
• taper off
• wane

Noun

• bier
• box
• casket
• coffin
• sarcophagus

Choose the Right Synonym for pall

satiate, sate, surfeit, cloy, pall, glut, gorge mean to fill to repletion.

satiate and sate may sometimes imply only complete satisfaction but more often suggest repletion that has destroyed interest or desire.

years of globe-trotting had satiated their interest in travel

readers were sated with sensationalistic stories

surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

Examples of pall in a Sentence

Verb (1)

viewers' interest in the reality show eventually palled

Noun

bearing her husband's pall were her four brothers and two nephews

a persistent pall of distrust has overtaken this administration and will remain until the president resigns

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

But three weeks into their stay — Spain arrived in New Zealand well in advance of its first game, hoping to draw the sting from the jet lag — the place had started to pall. —Rory Smith, New York Times, 3 Aug. 2023

But after a time, the combination of abrasive, impenetrably shellacked characters and deliberately, hopelessly tangled shaggy-dog storytelling begins to pall, and viewers may wish for a simpler way in. —Guy Lodge, Variety, 7 Aug. 2022

Noun

Megalopolis pushes Coppola into unchecked futuristic, pseudo-classical narrative fabrications (evoking the Shakespearean pall cast by the death of Caesar’s wife). —Armond White, National Review, 4 Oct. 2024

While crowds still gathered to commemorate Israel’s 76th Independence day, an unmistakable pall hung over this year’s celebrations, overshadowed by the lingering effects of the devastating Oct. 7 Hamas attack and the ensuing war in Gaza. —Deborah Danan, Sun Sentinel, 25 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Verb (1)

Middle English, short for appallen to become pale — more at appall

Noun

Middle English, cloak, mantle, from Old English pæll, from Latin pallium

First Known Use

Verb (1)

14th century, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing pall

• cast a pall on/over
• pall-mall

Kids Definition

pall

1 of 2 noun

ˈpȯl 

1

: a heavy cloth covering for a coffin, hearse, or tomb

2

: a chalice cover made of a square piece of stiffened linen

3

a

: something that covers, darkens, or produces a gloomy effect

a pall of black smoke

b

: a feeling of gloom

his bad mood cast a pall over the celebration

pall

2 of 2 verb

: to become dull or uninteresting : lose the ability to give pleasure

the excitement of the party quickly began to pall