palindrome
noun
pal·in·drome
ˈpa-lən-ˌdrōm 
: a word, verse, or sentence (such as "Able was I ere I saw Elba") or a number (such as 1881) that reads the same backward or forward
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Palindrome comes from Greek palindromos, meaning "running back again," which itself is from palin ("back," "again") and dramein ("to run"). Nowadays, we appreciate a clever palindrome—such as "Drab as a fool, aloof as a bard" or "A man, a plan, a canal: Panama"—or even a simple one like "race car," but in the past palindromes were more than just smart wordplay. Some folks thought they were magical, and they carved them on walls or amulets for protection.
Examples of palindrome in a Sentence
The word “dad” and the number “1881” are palindromes.
Recent Examples on the Web
Tuesday, May 20, sees the first of 10 dates in a row that can be written as a palindrome, or dates that read the same forward and backward, according to the Farmer’s Almanac.
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James Powel, USA Today, 20 May 2025
Its second fund two years later raised the numeric palindrome, $191,919,191.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025
What about the sum of two primes, or primes that form palindromes that read the same forward and backwards?
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2024
But a guess of ZIP, ENERGY, FOCUS and PEP was way off, especially considering that, as logic dictated, PEP was one of the palindromes.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for palindrome
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James Powel, USA Today, 20 May 2025
Its second fund two years later raised the numeric palindrome, $191,919,191.
—Samantha Subin, CNBC, 26 Feb. 2025
What about the sum of two primes, or primes that form palindromes that read the same forward and backwards?
—David Szondy, New Atlas, 25 Oct. 2024
But a guess of ZIP, ENERGY, FOCUS and PEP was way off, especially considering that, as logic dictated, PEP was one of the palindromes.
—Kris Holt, Forbes, 12 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for palindrome
Cite this Entry
“Palindrome.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/palindrome. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
palindrome
noun
pal·in·drome
ˈpal-ən-ˌdrōm
: a word, phrase, or sentence (as "Step on no pets") or a number (as 1881) that reads the same backward or forward
Medical Definition
palindrome
noun
pal·in·drome
ˈpal-ən-ˌdrōm
: a palindromic sequence of DNA
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