: 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
His parting vision of her funeral pyre both recalls and anticipates the devastated city of Carthage, sacked by Rome.
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Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
With love, with longing, with righteous rage or shameful guilt, on a sacrificial pyre or in the eternal flames of hell: There are so many ways to burn.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025
The pyre’s final stunt sees the avian structure break free and soar through the night sky.
—Daron James, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
The flaming-pyre raven flies off.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pyre
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Literary Hub, 3 Sep. 2025
With love, with longing, with righteous rage or shameful guilt, on a sacrificial pyre or in the eternal flames of hell: There are so many ways to burn.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 14 Aug. 2025
The pyre’s final stunt sees the avian structure break free and soar through the night sky.
—Daron James, IndieWire, 7 Aug. 2025
The flaming-pyre raven flies off.
—Jessica M. Goldstein, Vulture, 6 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for pyre
Cite this Entry
“Pyre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pyre. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pyre
noun
: a heap of wood for burning a dead body
also
: a pile of material to be burned
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