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to pall

to pall

1 7.2
To stop being interesting or enjoyable
  • verb
  • /pɔl/
translation icon : cansar
  • But for a few, it began to pall.
  • begin to pall

Examples

  • Over time, the endless repetition of the same jokes began to pall on the audience.

  • After a while, the recitation of serial affairs began to pall.

    Blog text (17)
  • Someday, the city would pall; all the places she had lived in had eventually bored her.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • This morning, the novelty had palled.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • When you've shot everything, it palls, doesn't it?

  • This glee you derive from treating me like a five-year-old does pall after a while!

  • "Then what?" Underfoot purses his big lips as if to whistle, his habit when a conversation palls.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • But despite the big paycheck, the thrill of dealing with stolen Volvos and teenagers walking out of the Gap wearing three pairs of jeans palled after a few weeks.

    Fiction book (1996)
  • And just as the celebration started to pall, with everybody facing the stark realization that they didn't even have the beginnings of an idea what we were expected to do next, Jukebox sang out a ten-second medley of the Jags'

    Fiction book (1998)
  • As much as he enjoyed the game initially, it started to pall after several hours of continuous play.

Synonyms

to erode
vsto pall
83 4.2

Gradually make someone's trust, belief, or support weaker over time

is about losing immediate appeal or enjoyment rather than slow destruction
to get old
vsto pall
  • Informal
80 5.8

To become boring or annoying after you hear it many times

focuses on loss of appeal or enjoyment, not only annoyance
to dull
vsto pall
33 3.4

Cause something to become less sharp, strong or bright

focuses on losing appeal or enjoyment rather than sensory dulling alone
to tire
vsto pall
19 1.3

To stop feeling interested in something

covers loss of overall enjoyment and appeal beyond simple boredom
to die
vsto pall
  • Specialized
15 9.6

To lose its bubbles and taste flat

uses the same idea of loss but applies generally to appeal and enjoyment
to cloy
vsto pall
3 9.7

To make someone feel sick or tired by too much sweetness and praise

means losing general appeal without causing a sick or cloying feeling
to deaden
vsto pall
3 5.5

To make a feeling, sound, or pain less strong

refers specifically to fading appeal or enjoyment rather than general weakening
to weary
vsto pall
2 4.6

To begin to feel bored with something after doing it many times

is about reduced appeal or enjoyment, not only repeated exposure effects
to stale
vsto pall
1 3.2

To become no longer fresh or interesting

refers specifically to losing interest or enjoyment rather than mere age
to jade
vsto pall
1 8.1

To make someone tired or bored by doing something too often

is broader, describing a general fading of appeal rather than only overuse
to fatigue
vsto pall
1 6.0

To get bored and lose interest in something

emphasizes becoming less enjoyable rather than physical or mental tiredness
9.9

Make something seem less special or exciting than before

expresses a general loss of enjoyment rather than just reduced glamour
to become flat
vsto pall
5.4

Lose their bubbles and taste less fresh

describes fading enjoyment broadly, not just loss of effervescence

Antonyms

64 2.7

To make something more active, alert or interested

50 2.8

Make someone or something feel full of energy and less tired

Idioms

Make a meeting or event feel gloomy and sad

Compounds

A thick cloud of smoke that makes it hard to see

8.1

A street in central London with old private clubs and elegant buildings

pall-mall
  • Archaic
9.9

An old lawn game where people hit a wooden ball with a mallet along an alley

How Appealing

to fascinate
238 3.4
to interest
206 1.0
to pall
1 7.2
to bore
15 1.4
to repel
5 5.1

Surface Forms

pall infinitive
palled past
palled past participle
palling present participle
palls third person singular

Etymology

A helpful way to remember the verb pall (to become less interesting) is to picture a heavy cloth covering something until it loses its shine. When an idea or activity 'palls', it becomes boring or tiresome.