panel

/ˈpænl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpænl/ (ame, ipa) · /ˈpa-nᵊl/ (ame, mw) · /ˈpæn.əl/ (bre, ipa) · /ˈpæn.əl/ (ame, ipa)

panel — noun

1. a small team brought together to give expert opinions, judge a contest, or talk

1.名詞C1
釋義

a small team brought together to give expert opinions, judge a contest, or talk about a topic in front of an audience or on television.

例句

A panel of three judges chose Maya's apple pie as this year's winner.

panel of + noun (judges)

The university invited four scientists to sit on a panel about climate change.

sit on a panel + about-phrase

同義詞
  • committee

    more formal and ongoing; a panel is often gathered just once for a single task

  • jury

    specifically for legal trials or art/design contests

  • board

    a permanent decision-making body for a company or school, not a one-off discussion group

文法句型

panel of + noun (experts/judges/scientists)

on a panel

用法筆記

Takes a singular or plural verb in British English (the panel agrees / the panel agree); American English usually keeps the singular. Subject is almost always a noun describing people chosen for skill or status.

常見錯誤

❌The panel of judges were three.
✅The panel had three judges.
💡don't use 'panel' to mean a count of people; it names the group itself.
❌I am in the panel.
✅I am on the panel.
💡the fixed preposition is 'on', not 'in'.

2. one of the rectangular sections, made from wood, glass, metal, or fabric, that t

2.名詞C2
釋義

one of the rectangular sections, made from wood, glass, metal, or fabric, that together build up a bigger object — for example the inset blocks on a door, the segments of a car's outer shell, or the strips down the side of a dress.

例句

The kitchen door has a small glass panel so visitors can peek inside.

glass panel (material + noun)

Workers fitted dark wooden panels along the office walls to make the room feel warmer.

fit panels along + surface

同義詞
  • section

    more general; a panel is specifically flat and built in

  • board

    stiff flat material; a panel is usually finished and decorative

  • sheet

    thinner and often loose; panels are mounted in place

文法句型

[material] panel

a panel of + material

用法筆記

Object is almost always concrete and rectangular; the material (wood, glass, metal, fabric) is usually given as a modifier or 'of'-phrase. Distinguish from sense 3 (CONTROL SURFACE): a wall panel is just a flat piece, while a control panel carries switches and dials.

常見錯誤

❌The window has a panel of glass and a panel of glass.
✅The window has two glass panels.
💡put the material before 'panel' as a single modifier.
❌A panel of cloth dress.
✅A dress with cloth panels.
💡'panel' is the part fitted into the larger thing, so the larger thing comes first.

3. a flat board, often inside a vehicle or machine, that holds the switches, button

3.名詞B2
釋義

a flat board, often inside a vehicle or machine, that holds the switches, buttons, dials, and screens used to operate it.

例句

Red warning lights flashed across the pilot's panel as the storm grew worse.

lights flash across the panel

Marcus tapped a button on the control panel, and the factory robot stopped at once.

tap a button on the panel

同義詞
  • dashboard

    specifically the instrument panel in front of a driver

  • console

    a unit holding controls, often free-standing; a panel is usually a flat surface fixed in place

  • switchboard

    older term, mainly for a panel of telephone or electrical switches

文法句型

control panel

instrument panel

on the panel

用法筆記

Almost always preceded by a modifier that names the machine (control, instrument, alarm, dashboard). Verbs that take this object are physical: press, tap, flip, push, watch. Distinguish from sense 2: this sense is defined by the controls on it, not by being decorative.

常見錯誤

❌I pressed the panel.
✅I pressed a button on the panel.
💡you act on the buttons or switches, not on the panel itself.
❌The car has a control panel for the speed.
✅The car has a dashboard / instrument panel.
💡for cars, prefer 'dashboard' or 'instrument panel'; 'control panel' fits machines and equipment.

panel — verb