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

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Noun (1)

Verb

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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
The duo — pals from boarding school and later Harvard — wanted to write a movie about Bourdain, but didn’t want a cradle to grave story. — Aaron Couch, HollywoodReporter, 10 Aug. 2026 The star partied with his model girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti and a posse of ten pals at hot spots including Casa Jondal. — Richard Johnson, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2026 Still, Mathers eventually recruited his old onscreen pal to join the cast of Still the Beaver and appear in several episodes of The New Leave it to Beaver. — Skyler Trepel, Entertainment Weekly, 4 Aug. 2026 Meanwhile, Spider-Man is struggling with his mutating powers — and the fact that his girlfriend MJ (Zendaya) and best friend Ned (Jacob Batalon) are making memories at MIT with zero recollection of their former pal. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 2 Aug. 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

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Browse Nearby Words

paktong
pal
pala
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Cite this Entry

“Pal.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pal. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

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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

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