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pal

noun

Simple meaning

A friend, buddy, mate.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

pal
US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈpæl

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

noun

  1. colloquial

    A friend, buddy, mate, cobber; someone to hang around with.

  2. colloquial

    An informal term of address, often used ironically in a hostile way.

  3. A language of Papua New Guinea.

  4. A security device to prevent unauthorized arming or detonation of a nuclear weapon.

  5. An old Italian silver coin; a paolo.

  6. informalslang

    Palestine.

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: A friend, buddy, mate, cobber; someone to hang around with.

Used this way, pal is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It turns up most in everyday conversation and social media or informal writing contexts.

Emotional tone
Positive
Formality
Casual
Intensity
Gentle
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Positive and appreciative
Usage feel
Casual and conversational

Where it naturally appears

  • Everyday conversation
  • Social media/informal writing

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use pal

  • “My old pal from elementary school called me yesterday.”

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More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin

Synonyms

Sense: friend or buddy or mate or cobber

chumDated

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.