# peel

/ˈpiɫ/ (US) · /pˈiːl/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/peel
Updated: 2026-08-08

## Senses

### 1. to remove skin

verb · CEFR B1

to take the outer skin off a fruit or vegetable.

For teachers: to remove the skin, rind, or bark from something. Transitive — requires a direct object.

- Could you help me peel the potatoes for the stew?
- The chef instructed the trainees to peel the tomatoes only after blanching them briefly in boiling water to loosen the skins.

### 2. to come off in pieces

verb · CEFR B2

when a surface like paint or skin starts to come off in small pieces.

For teachers: to become detached or to shed an outer layer in strips or flakes. Intransitive — often used of paint, wallpaper, or sunburnt skin.

- The old blue paint was starting to peel off the garden fence.
- After spending all day at the beach without sunscreen, his shoulders began to peel painfully by the middle of the week.

### 3. fruit skin

noun · CEFR B1

the outer skin of a fruit or vegetable.

For teachers: the rind or outer skin of a fruit or vegetable, considered collectively. Usually uncountable when referring to the material.

- Don't throw the orange peel in the bin; we can use it for compost.
- The recipe calls for finely grated lemon peel to be folded into the batter just before baking.

### 4. baking tool

noun · CEFR C2 · Technical

a long-handled shovel used to slide bread or pizza into a hot oven.

For teachers: a shovel-like tool, typically made of wood or metal, used by bakers to slide loaves or pizzas into and out of an oven.

- The baker used a wooden peel to move the sourdough loaves into the back of the oven.
- A well-floured pizza peel is essential for ensuring the dough slides effortlessly onto the preheated stone without tearing.

### 5. a tower

noun · CEFR C2 · Archaic · British English

a small, strong stone tower built long ago for protection.

For teachers: a small fortified tower or keep, typical of the English-Scottish border regions in the late Middle Ages.

- The ruins of an ancient peel tower stood on the hill overlooking the valley.
- Historians noted that the peel was strategically positioned to provide a clear line of sight for warning signals during border raids.

## Examples

- Throw the orange peel in the trash.
- The recipe calls for a thin strip of lemon peel to add flavor to the sauce.
- While the flesh of the fruit is sweet, the thick peel contains bitter oils that can overpower a dish if not removed carefully.

---

From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.