pellets 1 of 2

noun

plural of pellet
as in bullets
a usually round or cone-shaped little piece of lead made to be fired from a firearm the tightly packed pellets of a shotgun cartridge

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

pellets

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of pellet
as in beads

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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 pellets
Noun
Tiny black droppings or pellets (about the size of ground pepper or coffee) near hiding places are another potential sign. — Nafeesah Allen, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 July 2026 The shotgun pellets destroyed her left eye socket, shattered the roof of her mouth, and profusely damaged her optic nerve, eyesight, nose and upper lip. — Rachel Hale, USA Today, 24 June 2026 The pellets can be rehydrated before adding them to potting soil or added dry. — Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 21 June 2026 An individual holds a handful of hail pellets in Waite Park, Minnesota, after storms rolled through on June 19, 2026. — Nick Lentz, CBS News, 20 June 2026 And because the pellets were some 30 meters away from the cave’s entrance, the team could rule out their incineration by a natural wildfire. — Sahas Mehra, Scientific American, 19 June 2026 And what are these pellets on the ground? — Hailey Salvian, New York Times, 16 June 2026 Many commercial foods, especially pellets, need to be crushed or sprayed with water to loosen them up so the crab can eat. — Bestreviews, Mercury News, 15 June 2026 And Lamanna’s coauthor Jingmai O’Connor, vertebrate paleontologist and associate curator of fossil reptiles at Chicago’s Field Museum, also pointed out wads of bone found in the Changma Basin resemble pellets that owls regurgitate after feeding on prey. — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 4 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pellets
  1. bullets
  2. clumps
  3. balls
  4. lumps
Noun
  • Roughly a month before Kirk’s killing, Twiggs said Robinson asked for a Dremel, a tool used for sanding or grinding, to engrave bullets for an upcoming family hunting trip.
    — Nicki Brown, CNN Money, 11 July 2026
  • Without superpowers or magic to fall back on, heroes had to rely on little more than implausible levels of ingenuity and resilience, a capacity to dodge bullets/laser fire, and a gift for making the right quip at the right time.
    — Richard Edwards, Space.com, 11 July 2026
Definition of bullets
Verb
  • Dividing clumps every few years in early spring also maintains their vigor.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 11 July 2026
  • Like generations of potential treatments before it, KRSA-028 is designed to break down a protein called amyloid that clumps up in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.
    — Allison DeAngelis, STAT, 18 Feb. 2026
Definition of clumps
Noun
  • The buzzy, balls-to-the-wall sci-fi action-thriller shook up a slumbering Cannes earlier this year with a late night slot in Competition, emerging with many already declaring the 160-minute film to be a cult classic.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 9 July 2026
  • Brook, the England captain, smashed 79 not out off only 35 balls, with eight fours and four sixes.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 July 2026
Definition of balls
Verb
  • Critics also say Horvath lumps together different types of ed tech and doesn’t grapple with research that supports moderate use of computers in school.
    — Tyler Kingkade, NBC news, 31 May 2026
  • Most lumps such as these are noncancerous lipomas, or fatty tumors, and a decision on whether to remove them is based on whether the lumps interfere with movements or threaten other issues.
    — Joan Morris, Mercury News, 16 Mar. 2026
Definition of lumps

Browse Nearby Words

pelletizing
pellets
pell-mell
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Cite this Entry

“Pellets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pellets. Accessed 15 Jul. 2026.

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