peel

verb [I or T, usually + adv/prep] (COVERING)

/piːl/

Definition

C2 If a layer or covering peels, it slowly comes off, and if you peel a layer or covering, you remove it slowly and carefully: We peeled the wallpaper off the walls. Peel off the backing strip and press the label down firmly. The posters were peeling away from the damp walls. The new paint is already starting to crack and peel.Removing and extractingTearing and breaking into pieces

(Definition of peel verb (COVERING) from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

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