as in bundles
a large amount of a material (such as hay or wool) that is pressed together tightly and often tied or wrapped
a bale of cotton/paper
Related Words
Relevance
Example Sentences
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.
Recent Examples of bales
The bales weighed nearly 780 pounds and were estimated to have a street value of more than $5 million altogether.
—
CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
The artificial ice would be surrounded by bales of hay to provide a safety barrier for skaters.
—Cary Goodman, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
Cotton was a big crop in Savannah before the Civil War, with the city exporting more than half a million bales of cotton a year.
—Jim Halley, AJC.com, 27 Jan. 2026
In terms of exports, the only change over 100,000 bales was for Mali (-150,000 bales to 900,000).
—Sj Guest Editorial, Sourcing Journal, 15 Dec. 2025
Some used the money to buy new bales or machinery, or to help their family through that moment.
—Bella Webb, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2025
An employee dove between two metal bales that surround the facility to quickly carry a customer who had been burned to safety.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Departing from Greenbank Station in Wilmington, this ride trades traditional passenger cars for flatbed railcars lined with hay bales, giving travelers the feel of an open-air hay wagon.
—Kristine Hansen, Travel + Leisure, 29 Oct. 2025
Dressed as Pokémon characters, third-year attendees Bryan and Sheri Allbaugh were taking pictures by the festive hay bales with their daughter, Lith.
—Amy Stark Shireman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
CBS News, 23 Mar. 2026
The artificial ice would be surrounded by bales of hay to provide a safety barrier for skaters.
—Cary Goodman, New York Daily News, 23 Feb. 2026
Cotton was a big crop in Savannah before the Civil War, with the city exporting more than half a million bales of cotton a year.
—Jim Halley, AJC.com, 27 Jan. 2026
In terms of exports, the only change over 100,000 bales was for Mali (-150,000 bales to 900,000).
—Sj Guest Editorial, Sourcing Journal, 15 Dec. 2025
Some used the money to buy new bales or machinery, or to help their family through that moment.
—Bella Webb, Vogue, 27 Nov. 2025
An employee dove between two metal bales that surround the facility to quickly carry a customer who had been burned to safety.
—Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
Departing from Greenbank Station in Wilmington, this ride trades traditional passenger cars for flatbed railcars lined with hay bales, giving travelers the feel of an open-air hay wagon.
—Kristine Hansen, Travel + Leisure, 29 Oct. 2025
Dressed as Pokémon characters, third-year attendees Bryan and Sheri Allbaugh were taking pictures by the festive hay bales with their daughter, Lith.
—Amy Stark Shireman, San Diego Union-Tribune, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bales
Noun
-
Choose from pasta, rice and Spicy Buffalo Ranch Mac & Cheese in four and eight-pack options, plus bundles.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Hostinger’s managed WordPress hosting bundles the core pieces into one plan.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Where do your packages normally come from?—
Megan Cassidy,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Plus, DirecTV offers a five-day free trial for any plan, meaning new members can stream Real Housewives (and everything else the packages have to offer) at no cost during the trial period.—
Erin Lassner,
HollywoodReporter,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Rodney is off delivering packets of fish to other members of his family.—
NPR,
NPR,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Seed packets should have sowing instructions specific to that plant.—
Tim Johnson,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Once transported to the canyon, the modular components were assembled and put into place using one of the world’s largest cable cranes (cranes that move loads while suspended on cables), which spanned the gorge between the two towers.—
Aman Kumar,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
8 Apr. 2026
-
According to Archer Western, HDR’s design engineers failed to properly account for wind loads — including hurricane winds — in an initial, partial design for the signature bridge arches that the contractor used to calculate construction costs and time for its bid.—
Andres Viglucci,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Across multiple designs and operating conditions, CNTF heaters consistently achieved higher specific power loadings than comparable metal-alloy elements.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
6 Mar. 2026
-
Saudi Arabia has increased crude loadings in recent weeks, and strategic petroleum reserves held by major consuming nations like China, could provide some temporary cushioning to the market, Rystad Energy said in a note Sunday.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
3 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Choose from Standard/Queen and King sizes in a variety of colors in packs of one, two and four.—
Tory Johnson,
ABC News,
7 Apr. 2026
-
These packs offer a CLTC range of 373 miles (600 km) and 441 miles (710 km), while 3C fast charging adds nearly 186 miles of range in 10 minutes.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
6 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
That’s familiar territory for Paton, though, who will be operating without a first-rounder for the third time in six drafts as Denver’s general manager.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The Panthers, according to many mock drafts, might spend their first-round pick in the draft later this month on a wide receiver.—
Alex Zietlow
April 2,
Charlotte Observer,
2 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bales. Accessed 10 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
