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
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Recent Examples of bales
And then every other day, caretakers distribute 60 bales of hay (at 100 pounds each) to the horses.
—
Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2026
As the size and frequency of wildfires in Northwestern rangelands increase, fire-resistant options like straw bales are becoming increasingly popular.
—Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 13 June 2026
The Coast Guard recovered the suspect from the water, as well as 10 bales of contraband wrapped in brown bags.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Over in the next aisle, Gifty Anderson, who typically buys bales from Canada and the United Kingdom, held up a dress smeared with body makeup and tossed it aside without a second thought.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 8 June 2026
Local farmer Frank Stoeber began spinning the ball in 1953, incorporating twine from the hay bales of 85 neighboring farmers.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
Ann and Pat later moved to a 10-acre farm east of Franktown, where Schrader gardened, raised hens, spoiled cats and hoisted 50-pound bales of hay among other chores for the family’s eight horses.
—Billie Stanton, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026
Stoeber had lots of leftover twine from years of feeding his cows bales of hay.
—Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026
Stoeber had leftover twine from years of feeding his cows bales of hay and figured rolling it into a giant ball would be a fun activity and good exercise.
—Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2026
Teri Figueroa, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 June 2026
As the size and frequency of wildfires in Northwestern rangelands increase, fire-resistant options like straw bales are becoming increasingly popular.
—Noah Daly, Idaho Statesman, 13 June 2026
The Coast Guard recovered the suspect from the water, as well as 10 bales of contraband wrapped in brown bags.
—Stephen Smith, CBS News, 12 June 2026
Over in the next aisle, Gifty Anderson, who typically buys bales from Canada and the United Kingdom, held up a dress smeared with body makeup and tossed it aside without a second thought.
—Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 8 June 2026
Local farmer Frank Stoeber began spinning the ball in 1953, incorporating twine from the hay bales of 85 neighboring farmers.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 7 June 2026
Ann and Pat later moved to a 10-acre farm east of Franktown, where Schrader gardened, raised hens, spoiled cats and hoisted 50-pound bales of hay among other chores for the family’s eight horses.
—Billie Stanton, Denver Post, 30 Apr. 2026
Stoeber had lots of leftover twine from years of feeding his cows bales of hay.
—Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 24 Apr. 2026
Stoeber had leftover twine from years of feeding his cows bales of hay and figured rolling it into a giant ball would be a fun activity and good exercise.
—Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 24 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bales
Noun
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Consumers who love surprises are in for a treat with Aldi's Blind Box grocery bundles.—
Gabe Hauari,
USA Today,
17 June 2026
-
Streaming bundles are coming to Asia!—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
The constant shuffling of rotations and changing of personnel packages was evident during OTAs — the Falcons can go big, small and anywhere in between on the interior.—
Daniel Flick,
AJC.com,
19 June 2026
-
Wing’s white-and-yellow drones, developed in-house, can carry packages weighing up to five pounds, says chief business officer Heather Rivera.—
Anne Kadet,
Curbed,
19 June 2026
Noun
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The necklaces include five handmade Taco Bell charms, including Street Chalupas and Fire Hot Sauce packets.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
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Some families even bring their housekeepers, presumably to clean up all of the empty soy sauce packets.—
Brendan Cosgrove,
Fortune,
15 June 2026
Noun
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As one of Montana’s longest standing dude ranches, the property is constantly reimagining through refined design, a wildly impressive staff, and heaps of annual events bringing loads of travelers, from local to first-time ranchers alike.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 June 2026
-
At Cattlemen’s, still newish from its $3 million remodeling, the menu leads with a 2-pound porterhouse ($95) and loads of Western steakhouse character.—
Bud Kennedy,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
15 June 2026
Noun
-
Observable loadings have declined since the blockade, although the data can be difficult to interpret and often shows up on a delay.—
Anthony Di Paola,
Fortune,
2 May 2026
-
Windward said more than two dozen tankers are confined west of Hormuz as of Wednesday, with the blockade cutting Iranian oil loadings and exports by more than half.—
Emma Bussey,
FOXNews.com,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Choose from packs of four or five.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
22 June 2026
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Seeing people's faces change from confusion to disbelief to smiles (and possibly some relief) provided payback for hauling up those heavy packs.—
Christa Swanson,
CBS News,
22 June 2026
Noun
-
Some mock drafts and predictions have him being selected near the end of Round 1.—
PJ Green,
Kansas City Star,
21 June 2026
-
As Spielberg explained to Ain't It Cool in 2011, Shaw helped shape and trim it down after a few drafts of the speech were penned by writer Howard Sackler and filmmaker John Milius.—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
20 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Bales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bales. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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