palms

Meanings

1. 1nounplural

   The flat inner surfaces of your hands, from the wrist to the base of the fingers.

   Grammar: This is the plural of 'palm'; use 'palm' for one hand.

   Patterns

   • hold something in your palms
   • sweaty palms
   • the palms of your hands

   She held the warm stone in her palms.

   His palms were sweaty before the exam.

   He pressed his palms together and waited.

2. 2nounplural

   Tall tropical trees with a single trunk and large fan-shaped or feathery leaves at the top.

   Grammar: Plural of 'palm' as a tree; one tree is 'a palm' or 'a palm tree'.

   Patterns

   • a row of palms
   • climb a palm
   • palms line the beach

   Tall palms line the road along the coast.

   We sat in the shade of the palms.

   The garden is full of date palms.

Word forms

Common combinations

the palms of your hands

The coins left marks on the palms of her hands.

sweaty palms

He gets sweaty palms whenever he speaks in public.

palm trees

Palm trees grow well in hot, wet climates.

date palms

Farmers harvest dates from the date palms in autumn.

read someone's palms

At the fair, a woman offered to read our palms.

Synonyms and how they differ

hands

Refers to the whole hand, including fingers and back; 'palms' is only the flat inner side.

palm trees

The clearer everyday term when you mean the trees rather than your hands.

Word family

palm noun

The singular form, meaning one hand surface or one tree.

palmy adjective

Literary word meaning prosperous or happy, as in 'palmy days'.

Commonly confused: palms or palm? palms or psalm?

Practice

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