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
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Recent Examples of pellets
Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 6 Feb. 2026
The team was able to rapidly transform raw pellets into heavy-duty, construction-ready components.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
Some are fired as single projectiles, while others are dispersed in multiple pellets.
—Michele Heisler, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
The instructors walked in circles around me, moving closer and farther from my ears, hitting bowls, wind chimes, a rain stick, a thumb piano, and a tambor oceánico, an instrument filled with pellets that made a sound like breaking waves.
—John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026
Fabric layers mesh and bond; glass pellets, mother-of-pearl beads, and cables get nestled into crevices, trapped under hardened strata of varnish.
—Theo Belci, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
This time they were met with bullets, not pellets.
—Molly Hunter, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
However, since the process’s introduction, many things have changed, including the sharp drop in wind and solar prices and new studies showing that the pellets did not fulfill their promises.
—Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
That shift to colder air allowed much of the precipitation to change from freezing rain to bouncy ice pellets of sleet, sparing many trees and power lines of ice buildup — and likely preventing widespread power outages.
—Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 26 Jan. 2026
Noun
The wintry mix is made mostly of snow and graupel, which is also called snow pellets or soft hail.
—Katie Wiseman, IndyStar, 6 Feb. 2026
The team was able to rapidly transform raw pellets into heavy-duty, construction-ready components.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 4 Feb. 2026
Some are fired as single projectiles, while others are dispersed in multiple pellets.
—Michele Heisler, The Conversation, 4 Feb. 2026
The instructors walked in circles around me, moving closer and farther from my ears, hitting bowls, wind chimes, a rain stick, a thumb piano, and a tambor oceánico, an instrument filled with pellets that made a sound like breaking waves.
—John Bowe, Travel + Leisure, 1 Feb. 2026
Fabric layers mesh and bond; glass pellets, mother-of-pearl beads, and cables get nestled into crevices, trapped under hardened strata of varnish.
—Theo Belci, Artforum, 1 Feb. 2026
This time they were met with bullets, not pellets.
—Molly Hunter, NBC news, 30 Jan. 2026
However, since the process’s introduction, many things have changed, including the sharp drop in wind and solar prices and new studies showing that the pellets did not fulfill their promises.
—Ken Silverstein, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
That shift to colder air allowed much of the precipitation to change from freezing rain to bouncy ice pellets of sleet, sparing many trees and power lines of ice buildup — and likely preventing widespread power outages.
—Mary Wasson, Austin American Statesman, 26 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pellets
Noun
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He's lost all hearing in his right ear, where one of the bullets exited.—
Natalie Eilbert,
jsonline.com,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Officers fired beanbag rounds, a nonlethal alternative to bullets, to subdue Carter and take him into custody.—
Elissa Jorgensen,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The odds of matching the five white balls and Mega Ball to win the Mega Millions jackpot are 1 in 290,472,336.—
Tanya Wildt,
Freep.com,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Nearby, the dance space was lit with a mix of lanterns and disco balls glittering along the ceiling.—
Kaitlin Menza,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
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However, sometimes the abnormal IgA (the antibody that clumps up and causes problems) does run in families.—
Brandi Jones,
Health,
15 Jan. 2026
-
Cocoa powder often clumps in its container.—
Erin Merhar,
Southern Living,
11 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
Advertisement Breaking it down Artificial intelligence is an umbrella-term for several different technologies, from autonomous vehicles to chatbots—and the database lumps these together without a comprehensive structure.—
Harry Booth,
Time,
19 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pellets.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pellets. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
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