as in piles
a quantity of wood heaped together for burning a dead body
a funeral pyre
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 pyres
In Germany, northeastern France and many parts of Scandinavia and the Baltic, people still build elaborate bonfire pyres to light in the evening and tend long into the night.
—
Thomas A. Dubois,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
Carcasses of trees are piled up like pyres in one; in another, they are laid flat like a mass grave.
—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Varanasi was quite an experience, seeing the funeral pyres.
—
Simon Vozick-Levinson,
Rolling Stone,
16 Feb. 2026
Thomas A. Dubois,
The Conversation,
17 June 2026
Carcasses of trees are piled up like pyres in one; in another, they are laid flat like a mass grave.
—
Sean Timberlake,
Sacbee.com,
23 Feb. 2026
Varanasi was quite an experience, seeing the funeral pyres.
—
Simon Vozick-Levinson,
Rolling Stone,
16 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pyres
Noun
-
Burnham’s victory piles pressure on Starmer to quit Burnham will head to London to be sworn in as a lawmaker as soon as Monday.
-
This post was originally published on June 18 Bitcoin has struggled this year as the artificial intelligence investment boom piles pressure on crypto (even as BlackRock issues a massive $9 trillion prediction).
Noun
-
Most companies in the space are selling expensive diagnostics and supplement stacks to wealthy early adopters.
-
Only select Archives employees are permitted to go into those stacks; one staffer suggested to me that this is because anyone can disappear in there, sucked down rabbit holes, if there are no guardrails.
Noun
-
The Colorado Department of Transportation has been working with the Bureau of Fire Prevention and Control to identify trouble spots along roadways, steep hills and other areas.
-
There are a surprisingly high number of weak ski resort courses, and many better golf operations tend to be at smaller market ski hills, so my focus is on the best golf courses at ski resorts, regardless of the size of the ski operations.
Noun
-
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.
-
Archaeologists have been cataloging dump sites since at least the early 19th century, when Danish scientists began pawing through heaps of mollusk shells that had been discarded by their Stone Age ancestors.
Cite this Entry
“Pyres.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pyres. Accessed 27 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
