Peel

/piːl/ name, noun, verb

name, noun, verb ·Very common ·Middle school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: The skin or outer layer of a fruit, vegetable, etc.
  • Grammar: peel is listed as name, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: skin, abscind, acropolis, amputate.
  • Useful contrasts: crusted, encrusted, layered.
  • Usage evidence: Lend me a knife with which to peel this pear.

How to use "peel"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "peel" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.

Meaning check

  • Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
  • Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
  • Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
  • Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?

Source and review context

This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "peel" in a final draft.

If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.

Before you rely on this definition

Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "peel" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "peel" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.

Compare nearby meanings

  • Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
  • Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
  • Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
  • Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.

Definition decision workflow

1. Identify the role

Check whether "peel" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.

2. Test the nearest option

Compare it with "skin" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.

3. Confirm with context

Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.

Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.

Final meaning check

Before publishing a sentence with "peel", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.

When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    The skin or outer layer of a fruit, vegetable, etc. uncountable, usually
  2. 2
    A stake. obsolete
  3. 3
    A shovel or similar instrument, now especially a pole with a flat disc at the end used for removing pizza or loaves of bread from a baker's oven.

    "Near-synonym: pizza paddle"

  4. 4
    An equal or match; a draw. Scotland
  5. 5
    Alternative form of peal (“a small or young salmon”). alt-of, alternative
Show 8 more definitions
  1. 6
    the rind of a fruit or vegetable wordnet
  2. 7
    The action of peeling away from a formation. countable
  3. 8
    A fence made of stakes; a stockade. obsolete
  4. 9
    A T-shaped implement used by printers and bookbinders for hanging wet sheets of paper on lines or poles to dry.
  5. 10
    A takeout which removes a stone from play as well as the delivered stone.
  6. 11
    A cosmetic preparation designed to remove dead skin or to exfoliate. countable
  7. 12
    A small tower, fort, or castle; a keep. archaic
  8. 13
    The blade of an oar. US, archaic
Verb
  1. 1
    To remove the skin or outer covering of. transitive

    "I sat by my sister's bed, peeling oranges for her."

  2. 2
    To play a peel shot.
  3. 3
    To send through a hoop (of a ball other than one's own).
  4. 4
    To plunder; to pillage, rob. archaic, transitive

    "But govern ill the nations under yoke, / Peeling their provinces."

  5. 5
    Misspelling of peal (“to sound loudly”). alt-of, misspelling

    "1825 June 25, "My Village Bells", in The Circulator of Useful Knowledge, Literature, Amusement, and General Information number XXVI, available in, 1825, The Circulator of Useful Amusement, Literature, Science, and General Information, page 401, Oh ! still for me let merry bells peel out their holy chime;"

Show 7 more definitions
  1. 6
    get undressed wordnet
  2. 7
    To remove something from the outer or top layer of. transitive

    "I peeled (the skin from) a banana and ate it hungrily."

  3. 8
    come off in flakes or thin small pieces wordnet
  4. 9
    To become detached, come away, especially in flakes or strips; to shed skin in such a way. intransitive

    "I had been out in the sun too long, and my nose was starting to peel."

  5. 10
    remove the skin from wordnet
  6. 11
    To remove one's clothing. intransitive

    "The children peeled by the side of the lake and jumped in."

  7. 12
    To move, separate (off or away). intransitive

    "The scrum-half peeled off and made for the touchlines."

Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname. countable
  2. 2
    A surname.; Robert Peel, former British Prime Minister. countable, uncountable
  3. 3
    A placename:; A town in the Isle of Man (OS grid ref SC2484). countable, uncountable
  4. 4
    A placename:; A former county in Ontario, Canada, abolished in 1974. countable, uncountable
  5. 5
    A placename:; A regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada, created in 1974. countable, uncountable
Show 2 more definitions
  1. 6
    A placename:; A locality in the Bathurst council area, central eastern New South Wales, Australia. countable, uncountable
  2. 7
    A placename:; A region south of Perth, Western Australia. countable, uncountable

Synonyms

All synonyms
skinabscindacropolisamputateannihilatebakery paddle

Antonyms

crustedencrustedlayeredapply natural system approach

Example

"Lend me a knife with which to peel this pear."

Common questions

What does "peel" mean?

The skin or outer layer of a fruit, vegetable, etc.

What is a synonym for "peel"?

Common synonyms include: skin, abscind, acropolis, amputate, annihilate, bakery paddle.

How do you use "peel" in a sentence?

Lend me a knife with which to peel this pear.

How do you pronounce "peel"?

Pronounced /piːl/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English pelen, from Old English pilian and Old French peler, pellier; both from Latin pilō, pilāre (“to remove hair from, depilate”), from pilus (“hair”). Doublet of pill.

Etymology 2

From Middle English peel, pele, from Anglo-Norman pel (compare modern French pieu), from Latin pālus (“stake”). Doublet of pole and pale.

Etymology 3

From Middle English pele, from Old French pele (modern French pelle), from Latin pāla, from the base of plangō (“fix, plant”). Doublet of pala.

Etymology 4

Unknown.

Etymology 5

Named from Walter H. Peel, a noted 19th-century croquet player.

Etymology 6

From Old French piller (“pillage”).

More for "peel"

Synonyms

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