pall 1 of 2

noun

Definition of pallnext
1
as in coffin
a boxlike container for holding a dead body bearing her husband's pall were her four brothers and two nephews

Synonyms & Similar Words

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2
as in cloud
an overspreading element that produces an atmosphere of gloom a persistent pall of distrust has overtaken this administration and will remain until the president resigns

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in veil
something that covers or conceals like a piece of cloth a pall of gloom overshadowed the failing theater's last production

Synonyms & Similar Words

pall

2 of 2

verb

ˈpȯl How to pronounce pall (audio)
as in to subside
to grow less in scope or intensity especially gradually viewers' interest in the reality show eventually palled

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Synonym Chooser

How is the word pall different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of pall are cloy, glut, gorge, sate, satiate, and surfeit. While all these words mean "to fill to repletion," pall emphasizes the loss of ability to stimulate interest or appetite.

a life of leisure eventually begins to pall

When is it sensible to use cloy instead of pall?

While the synonyms cloy and pall are close in meaning, cloy stresses the disgust or boredom resulting from such surfeiting.

sentimental pictures that cloy after a while

When might glut be a better fit than pall?

Although the words glut and pall have much in common, glut implies excess in feeding or supplying.

a market glutted with diet books

When is gorge a more appropriate choice than pall?

While in some cases nearly identical to pall, gorge suggests glutting to the point of bursting or choking.

gorged themselves with chocolate

How are the words satiate and sate related as synonyms of pall?

Both 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

In what contexts can surfeit take the place of pall?

The meanings of surfeit and pall largely overlap; however, surfeit implies a nauseating repletion.

surfeited themselves with junk food

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of pall
Noun
The 67th Grammy Awards will have a bit of a pall over them Sunday after the devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area. — August Brown, Boston Herald, 2 Feb. 2025 News of a federal inquiry into Mizuhara's possible links to gamblers cast a pall on Dodgers' 2024 opening games, played in Seoul. — David K. Li, NBC News, 6 Feb. 2025
Verb
If there was no Venice, does that mean that the overall attraction of an Adriatic cruise would pall? — Julia Buckley, CNN, 8 May 2021 Reduced to highlights and stripped of distinction, Percy’s adventures with Furies, oracles, Medusa, Ares and Hades quickly pall. — Jesse Green, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2019 See All Example Sentences for pall
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pall
  1. coffin
  2. cloud
  3. veil
  4. subside
  5. casket
  6. shroud
  7. diminish
  8. tomb
Noun
  • This news might catch the attention of Panthers fans, as it all but puts the nail in the coffin on Johnny Hekker’s future in Carolina.
    — Mike Kaye, Charlotte Observer, 13 Mar. 2025
  • Photos show what the corridor looks like while walking through and what the rectangular chamber looks like from above. Inside the burial chamber, archaeologists found one larger sarcophagus filled with animal bones and five stone coffins, the ministry said.
    — Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 12 Mar. 2025
Definition of coffin
Noun
  • Rest assured, there’s more than a silver lining in that gray cloud.
    — Chris Carosa, Forbes, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The lingering fumes of attention and magical aura somehow still surround the oddball Rodgers like the cloud of dirt around Pig-Pen in the Peanuts comic strip.
    — Greg Cote, Miami Herald, 13 Mar. 2025
Definition of cloud
Noun
  • Even the nuns’ attire had progressed past ultra-conservative frocks and full-coverage veils.
    — Zoey Lyttle, People.com, 14 Mar. 2025
  • The visuals are soft and cloudy, as if blanketed by a gossamer veil, and movement between scenes possess a feathery quality (editing is by Garret Elkins).
    — Lovia Gyarkye, The Hollywood Reporter, 11 Mar. 2025
Definition of veil
Verb
  • On the other hand, disorganized or opaque responses can damage reputations long after the crisis subsides.
    — Benjamin Laker, Forbes, 21 Mar. 2025
  • Although many around the world have been cutting interest rates to fuel growth after the inflation crisis has subsided, the OECD believes the inflation that tariffs will reignite means central banks will have to keep rates higher for longer, causing prolonged pain for businesses and consumers.
    — David Goldman, CNN, 17 Mar. 2025
Definition of subside
Noun
  • But what struck some guests as odd was the open casket.
    — Catherine Odom, Miami Herald, 6 Mar. 2025
  • Egyptian mediators assisted in the delivery of the caskets.
    — Andrea Margolis, Fox News, 27 Feb. 2025
Definition of casket
Noun
  • Imagery from the Myrtle Beach region Monday morning showed a shroud of smoke enveloping parts of the low-lying terrain and creating a wall of low visibility.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC News, 4 Mar. 2025
  • The launch shroud encasing the uncrewed Progress MS-30 (or Progress 91, as NASA refers to it) resupply spacecraft has been decorated with a logo commemorating the centennial of Pavel Belyayev's birth.
    — Robert Z. Pearlman, Space.com, 27 Feb. 2025
Definition of shroud
Verb
  • The intense criticism of the COVID response has left a lingering public distrust in health and diminished their influence.
    — Tina Reed, Axios, 10 Mar. 2025
  • The seeming smallness of the story does nothing to diminish the film’s bleakness nor blunt its ultimately devastating impact.
    — Emma Specter, Vogue, 9 Mar. 2025
Definition of diminish
Noun
  • The tomb of ancient Egyptian King Thutmose II has been found, the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities announced.
    — Francesca Aton for ArtNews, Robb Report, 20 Feb. 2025
  • An inscription stated that Hatshepsut had the tomb's contents relocated due to flooding.
    — Ars Technica, Ars Technica, 28 Feb. 2025
Definition of tomb

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Cite this Entry

“Pall.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pall. Accessed 25 Mar. 2025.

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More from Merriam-Webster on pall

Nglish: Translation of pall for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about pall

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