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⇱ peel - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

peel

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈpiːl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/pil/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(pēl)


WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
peel1 /pil/USA pronunciation   v. 
  1. to strip (something) of its skin, rind, etc.:[~ + object]to peel and boil some potatoes.
  2. (of skin, paint, etc.) to come off in pieces:[no object]My skin peeled after the sunburn.
  3. to strip away from something:[~ + object]to peel paint from a car.
  4. Aeronautics peel off, [no object] to make a turn away from a group:One by one the jets peeled off from the formation and dove for their targets.

n. [uncountable]
  1. Botanythe skin or rind of a fruit or vegetable:grated lemon peel.
Idioms
  1. Idioms, Informal Terms keep one's eyes peeled, [no object] to watch carefully;
    be alert:Keep your eyes peeled for the turnoff.

peel•er, n. [countable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
peel1  (pēl),USA pronunciation v.t. 
  1. to strip (something) of its skin, rind, bark, etc.:to peel an orange.
  2. to strip (the skin, rind, bark, paint, etc.) from something:to peel paint from a car.
  3. Sport[Croquet.]to cause (another player's ball) to go through a wicket.

v.i. 
  1. (of skin, bark, paint, etc.) to come off;
    become separated.
  2. to lose the skin, rind, bark, paint, etc.
  3. Informal Termsto undress.
  4. Metallurgy(of a malleable iron casting) to lose, or tend to lose, the outer layer.
  5. keep one's eyes peeled, [Informal.]to watch closely or carefully;
    be alert:Keep your eyes peeled for a gas station.
  6. peel off:
    • to remove (the skin, bark, etc.) or be removed:The old skin peeled off.
    • [Aeron.]to leave a flying formation of aircraft with a banking turn, usually from one end of an echelon.
    • [Informal.]to turn off or leave (a road):We peeled off the highway onto a dirt road.
    • to remove (clothing) in a swift upward or downward motion.

n. 
  1. Botanythe skin or rind of a fruit, vegetable, etc.
  2. Metallurgythe presence of a brittle outer layer on a malleable iron casting.
  • Latin pilāre to remove hair, derivative of pilus hair. See pill2
  • Middle English pelen, Old English pilian to strip, skin bef. 1100
peel′a•ble, adj. 
    1. Peel, pare agree in meaning to remove the skin or rind from something. Peel means to pull or strip off the natural external covering or protection of something:to peel an orange, a potato.Pare is used of trimming off chips, flakes, or superficial parts from something, as well as of cutting off the skin or rind:to pare the nails; to pare a potato.
peel2  (pēl),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a shovellike implement for putting bread, pies, etc., into the oven or taking them out.
  2. Metallurgya long, shovellike iron tool for charging an open-hearth furnace.
  • Latin pāla spade. See palette
  • Middle French
  • Middle English pele 1350–1400

peel3  (pēl),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. a small fortified tower for residence or for use during an attack, common in the border counties of England and Scotland in the 16th century.
Also, pele. 
  • Latin pālus stake. See pale2
  • Anglo-French pel stockade, Middle French pel stake
  • Middle English pele fortress 1250–1300

Peel  (pēl),USA pronunciation n. 
  1. Biographical Sir Robert, 1788–1850, British political leader: founder of the London constabulary;
    prime minister 1834–35;
    1841–46.
  2. Place Namesa seaport on W Isle of Man: castle;
    resort. 3295.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
peel /piːl/ vb
  1. (transitive) to remove (the skin, rind, outer covering, etc) of (a fruit, egg, etc)
  2. (intransitive) (of paint, etc) to be removed from a surface, esp through weathering
  3. (intransitive) (of a surface) to lose its outer covering of paint, etc, esp through weathering
  4. (intransitive) (of a person or part of the body) to shed skin in flakes or (of skin) to be shed in flakes, esp as a result of sunburn
 n
  1. the skin or rind of a fruit, etc
Etymology: Old English pilian to strip off the outer layer, from Latin pilāre to make bald, from pilus a hair
peel /piːl/ n
  1. a long-handled shovel used by bakers for moving bread in an oven
Etymology: 14th Century pele, from Old French, from Latin pāla spade, from pangere to drive in; see palette
peel /piːl/ n
  1. (in Britain) a fortified tower of the 16th century on the borders between England and Scotland, built to withstand raids
Etymology: 14th Century (fence made of stakes): from Old French piel stake, from Latin pālus; see pale2, paling
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Peel /piːl/ n
  1. John, real name John Robert Parker Ravenscroft. 1939–2004, British broadcaster; presented his influential Radio 1 music programme (1967–2004) and Radio 4's Home Truths (1998–2004)
  2. Sir Robert. 1788–1850, British statesman; Conservative prime minister (1834–35; 1841–46). As Home Secretary (1828–30) he founded the Metropolitan Police and in his second ministry carried through a series of free-trade budgets culminating in the repeal of the Corn Laws (1846), which split the Tory party
ˈPeelite n
'peel' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Synonyms: skin, rind, husk, hull, bark, more...
Collocations: get a facial peel, add the peel of one [orange], slipped on a banana peel, more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "peel" in the title:

'Few bucks over half of my life' - Peel my love like an onion - Ana Castillo
as I tried to peel it off
Banana skin/peel/rind/zest?
bells peel across [peal]
chemical peel
Do grapes have peel or skin?
dog-gone heel [John Peel]
Edges of the loose papers under my tight hold peel off and dance with the wind
egg shell or egg peel?
get out on "a peel"
Have fun shredding your glassy peel
her head ... like a piece of wind-worried old orange-peel
I will peel you
its peel the one dab of colour in the frame
mindful of the warp and peel
no peel, no cube
Orange peel syndrome
peal [peel] off?
peel
peel an apple, but a peel is too thick
peel and skin
"peel" and "unpeel"
peel apart
Peel away
Peel back
peel <back>
peel back the layers
peel eyelids , peel gaze
peel off
peel off
more...

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