: a combustible heap for burning a dead body as a funeral rite
broadly : a pile of material to be burned
a pyre of dead leaves

Examples of pyre in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The pyre’s final stunt sees the avian structure break free and soar through the night sky. Daron James, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025 All those stories, all those ordinary characters, each book becoming a small pyre, alongside the flaming photo albums and memories of a family’s life—and not just his family’s, but many families’ lives. Philip Metres july 30, Literary Hub, 30 July 2025 The flames that consumed the dining room and two cabins made an impressive pyre that could be clearly seen from the South Rim, 13 miles across the gorge. Tom Zoellner, AZCentral.com, 25 July 2025 The team noted that horses were often part of early Anglo-Saxon cremation pyres to reflect the elevated status of the individual who had died. Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 24 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for pyre

Word History

Etymology

Latin pyra, from Greek, from pyr fire — more at fire

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pyre was in 1587

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pyre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pyre. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

pyre

noun
: a heap of wood for burning a dead body
also : a pile of material to be burned

More from Merriam-Webster on pyre

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