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
  • This week, stacks of sandbags were piled onto Newport Beach’s miles-long network of seawalls around Balboa Island and the Balboa Peninsula, an effort to give the historic walls just a bit more height against the rising tide.
    — Hannah Fry, Los Angeles Times, 30 Oct. 2026
  • The experts in Oviedo had stacks of papers proving that parts of the process worked.
    — Katie Worth, ProPublica, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of stacks
Noun
  • Article continues below this ad The scenic overlook, which rises above Lake Austin, attracts visitors looking for views of the lake, surrounding hills and downtown skyline.
    — Data Reporter, Austin American Statesman, 29 Oct. 2026
  • The rooms are named for the countryside in a place with similarly lush rolling hills but just across the pond.
    — Heather Bien, Southern Living, 28 Oct. 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 5 Nov. 2026.

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