pal

1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈpal How to pronounce pal (audio)
Synonyms of palnext
: a close friend
palship
ˈpal-ˌship How to pronounce pal (audio)
noun

pal

2 of 3

verb

palled; palling

intransitive verb

: to be or become pals : associate as pals
they've palled around for years

palship

3 of 3

noun (2)

pal·​ship ˈpalˌship How to pronounce palship (audio)
: the relation existing between pals : informal intimacy

Synonyms of pal

Relevance

Noun (1)

Verb

See All Synonyms & Antonyms in Thesaurus

Examples of pal in a Sentence

Noun (1) We've been pals since we were kids. Come on—be a pal and lend me the money. Verb they began to pal around after discovering that they both had kids on the same soccer team
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.
Noun
Joined by its fellow soft herb pals, oregano and chives, basil brightens up this easy cheese spread. — Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 26 June 2026 David Letterman ranks among those few pals. — Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026 The artist herself may have confirmed her pal Ed Sheeran is going to attend. — Bailey Bujnosek, InStyle, 27 June 2026 In addition to one very big bow, the clip also starred a then-unknown John Leguizamo as one of the artist's pals. — Cara Lynn Shultz, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for pal

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1) and Noun (2)

Romani phral, phal brother, friend, from Sanskrit bhrātṛ brother; akin to Old English brōthor brother

First Known Use

Noun (1)

circa 1886, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1875, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pal was in 1875

Phrases Containing pal

Rhymes for pal

See All Rhymes for pal

Browse Nearby Words

paktong
pal
pala
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pal. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

pal

1 of 2 noun
ˈpal How to pronounce pal (audio)
: a close friend

pal

2 of 2 verb
palled; palling
: to be or become pals

Legal Definition

PAL

abbreviation
passive activity loss

More from Merriam-Webster on pal

Nglish: Translation of pal for Spanish Speakers

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words

How to Use Em Dashes (—), En Dashes (–) , and Hyphens (-)
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List

One-Word Oxymorons: Bittersweet, Spendthrift, and More

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
hangman letters and game
Hangman Lightning Round Figure out which word fits in the blanks.
See All