pyres

noun

plural of pyre
as in piles
a quantity of wood heaped together for burning a dead body a funeral pyre

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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 pyres The funeral pyres at Kathmandu’s riverfront temple have been burning steadily. — Sajal Pradhan Sajal Pradhan Sajal Pradhan Sajal Pradhan, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 The symbolic funeral pyres were surrounded by offerings to Hindu deities as relatives gathered to perform the final rites. — Shristi Kafle, Los Angeles Times, 2 Sep. 2026 In a tradition dating back more than 300 years, towering pyres have been lit every July in Northern Ireland to mark the Battle of the Boyne, which effectively cemented Protestant rule. — Kara Fox, CNN Money, 10 July 2026 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 Piles of logs and branches sat among the uncut pines, a fire hazard on a fire-prone landscape, pyres waiting to burn. — Shi En Kim, AZCentral.com, 15 May 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
  1. piles
  2. stacks
  3. hills
  4. heaps
Noun
  • In Alexandra township, where the road to the River Park Library voting station is filled with potholes, leaking sewage and piles of uncollected waste on the sidewalks, many still came out to cast their ballot.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 4 Nov. 2026
  • Tech stocks have sagged as investors grow concerned over their ballooning debt piles at a time of rising interest rates.
    — semafor.com, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of piles
Noun
  • America was at an ugly and gut-churning crossroads, with some already crudely resisting whatever democratic gains had come because of stacks upon stacks of movement protests.
    — Kevin Powell, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Nov. 2026
  • While published literature on the math of literally looking for needles in actual stacks of hay are thin on the ground, the principles of such a search lie in an area of math called probabilities.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 7 Nov. 2026
Definition of stacks
Noun
  • Like Rome, Istanbul was built on seven hills, six of which are visible from the hotel.
    — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Nov. 2026
  • The route passes through neighborhoods including NoDa and Plaza Midwood, offering lively pockets of support but also quieter stretches, awkward turns and hills that can feel particularly unforgiving late in the race.
    — Théoden Janes, Charlotte Observer, 5 Nov. 2026
Definition of hills
Noun
  • There’s an outdoor kitchen, heaps of space inside, and sleek sun loungers everyone can relax on with a glass of wine—rosé, naturally.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 27 Oct. 2026
  • With its mix of teenage alienation, anti-authority diatribes and heaps of personality disorder, Darko is appealing in a kind of neo-Heathers, anti-establishment way.
    — Duane Byrge, HollywoodReporter, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of heaps

Browse Nearby Words

pyre
pyres
pyromancies
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Cite this Entry

“Pyres.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pyres. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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