Meaning & use
palings
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“palings” is a form of “paling”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
a fence made of wooden stakes or boards set upright in the ground
Grammar: Always used in the plural to refer to the fence as a whole; a single stake is a 'paling'.
Patterns
- a row of palings
- behind the palings
- white palings
The garden was surrounded by white palings.
He leaned over the palings to talk to his neighbor.
The old palings had rotted and needed replacing.
Word forms
| singular | paling |
|---|
Common combinations
- wooden palings
- The wooden palings gave the yard a rustic look.
- a fence of palings
- They built a fence of palings around the property.
- paint the palings
- Every spring, she painted the palings white.
Synonyms and how they differ
- picket fence
- The usual American term for a fence made of vertical wooden boards; 'palings' is more British and literary.
- stakes
- 'Stakes' are the individual pointed posts; 'palings' refers to the whole fence made from them.
Word family
- pale noun
- A wooden stake or board used in fencing; less common than 'paling'.
Commonly confused: palings or paling?
palings vs paling
'Paling' is singular and means one stake or the material for a fence; 'palings' is plural and means the fence itself.
Practice
What does 'palings' most commonly refer to?
Choose one answer.
'Palings' are a fence made of wooden stakes. The other options are unrelated meanings that do not fit the word.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “palings”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.