peel: Meaning and Definition of

peel

Pronunciation: (pēl), [key]
— 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. 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. to undress.
  4. (of a malleable iron casting) to lose, or tend to lose, the outer layer.
  5. to watch closely or carefully; be alert: Keep your eyes peeled for a gas station.
  6. The old skin peeled off.
    1. to remove (the skin, bark, etc.) or be removed:The old skin peeled off.
    2. Aeron.to leave a flying formation of aircraft with a banking turn, usually from one end of an echelon.
    3. Informal.to turn off or leave (a road):We peeled off the highway onto a dirt road.
    4. to remove (clothing) in a swift upward or downward motion.
—n.
  1. the skin or rind of a fruit, vegetable, etc.
  2. the presence of a brittle outer layer on a malleable iron casting.

peel

Pronunciation: (pēl), [key]
— n.
  1. a shovellike implement for putting bread, pies, etc., into the oven or taking them out.
  2. a long, shovellike iron tool for charging an open-hearth furnace.

peel

Pronunciation: (pēl), [key]
— 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.

Peel

Pronunciation: (pēl), [key]
— n.
  1. 1788–1850, British political leader: founder of the London constabulary; prime minister 1834–35; 1841–46.
  2. a seaport on W Isle of Man: castle; resort. 3295.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.
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