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
In either case, make sure the bales are made from weed-free straw, not hay.
—
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025
In the 2023-24 crop year, China imported a decade-long high of 15 million bales, causing scarcity and creating a pricing bump.
—Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 30 Sep. 2025
Coast Guard members unloaded bales of cocaine from the cutter Midgett at the Marine Terminal in Barrio Logan on Thursday.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
Way to Celebrate Pumpkin Outdoor Coir Mat I’m all about curb appeal, and come fall, my favorite thing to do is adorn my front porch with colorful, vibrant mums, hay bales, scarecrows, and other seasonal decor.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025
In this June 25, 2007 file photo, a Dominican Navy soldier stands guard over bales of cocaine during a news conference in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Sep. 2025
Kids can climb on hay bales or pet farm animals, while adults can sample hard cider or stroll through a nighttime lantern walk.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
The last batch of bales fell from the sky.
—Martin Suarez, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025
Hay bales are placed along the backside of the den box, and the door gets removed.
—Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 24 Feb. 2025
Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 1 Oct. 2025
In the 2023-24 crop year, China imported a decade-long high of 15 million bales, causing scarcity and creating a pricing bump.
—Sarah Jones, Sourcing Journal, 30 Sep. 2025
Coast Guard members unloaded bales of cocaine from the cutter Midgett at the Marine Terminal in Barrio Logan on Thursday.
—San Diego Union-Tribune, 26 Sep. 2025
Way to Celebrate Pumpkin Outdoor Coir Mat I’m all about curb appeal, and come fall, my favorite thing to do is adorn my front porch with colorful, vibrant mums, hay bales, scarecrows, and other seasonal decor.
—Alicia Geigel, Southern Living, 25 Sep. 2025
In this June 25, 2007 file photo, a Dominican Navy soldier stands guard over bales of cocaine during a news conference in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.
—Adeola Adeosun, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Sep. 2025
Kids can climb on hay bales or pet farm animals, while adults can sample hard cider or stroll through a nighttime lantern walk.
—Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 18 Sep. 2025
The last batch of bales fell from the sky.
—Martin Suarez, Rolling Stone, 13 Sep. 2025
Hay bales are placed along the backside of the den box, and the door gets removed.
—Brooke Baitinger, Idaho Statesman, 24 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bales
Noun
-
Inqmy 2-Piece Faux Hanging Flowers This faux floral set includes two bundles of artificial flowers that are bright, voluminous, and full.—
Stephanie Osmanski,
Better Homes & Gardens,
30 Sep. 2025
-
Exactly what Murray or his assistants would have produced (although our bundles would then go off to be keyed into a database, rather than being typeset by compositors).—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Group ticket packages are also available.—
Haadiza Ogwude,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
5 Oct. 2025
-
But the high-profile nature of the awards and the eye-popping figures associated with them are pushing board-level compensation committees that negotiate CEO pay to prepare for conversations about similar packages.—
Amanda Gerut,
Fortune,
5 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The Starter Routine includes one jar of 120 capsules and seven daily travel size packets with four capsules each, along with a travel bag to hold it all.—
Korin Miller,
Flow Space,
1 Oct. 2025
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Here’s a general idea of how many plants each straw bale can hold, but always double-check the spacing guidelines on your seed packets.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
1 Oct. 2025
Noun
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This dual-purpose design requires exceptional stiffness, vibration control, and precision engineering, allowing heavy highway loads and high-speed rail traffic to share the same structure safely.—
Kaif Shaikh,
Interesting Engineering,
3 Oct. 2025
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Same question, loads of responses.—
Alec Lewis,
New York Times,
2 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
However, arms control agreements limit current loadings to four or five.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
22 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
On this day, inside the card shop, the disappointing packs didn’t send him home.—
Dan Woike,
New York Times,
1 Oct. 2025
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Tendys are available in packs of 3 or 4 pieces and both come with two dipping sauces.—
Sabrina Weiss,
PEOPLE,
30 Sep. 2025
Noun
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After recording just five sacks in the first four games, the Cowboys’ defensive front finally came alive with five Sunday against a Jets franchise that has invested first-round picks on their offensive line in each of the past two drafts.—
Nick Harris,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
5 Oct. 2025
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These first drafts honoring America’s 250th Birthday and @POTUS are real.—
Gabe Whisnant,
MSNBC Newsweek,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Bales.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bales. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
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