bale

1
[ beyl ]
See synonyms for bale on Thesaurus.com
noun
  1. a large bundle or package prepared for shipping, storage, or sale, especially one tightly compressed and secured by wires, hoops, cords, or the like, and sometimes having a wrapping or covering: a bale of cotton; a bale of hay.

  2. a group of turtles.

verb (used with object),baled, bal·ing.
  1. to make or form into bales: to bale wastepaper for disposal.

Origin of bale

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Anglo-Latin bala, Anglo-French bale “pack, bale,” from unattested Frankish balla; compare Old High German balo, akin to balla; see ball1

Other words from bale

  • baleless, adjective
  • baler, noun

Other definitions for bale (2 of 5)

bale2
[ beyl ]

nounArchaic.
  1. evil; harm; misfortune.

  2. woe; misery; sorrow.

Origin of bale

2
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English bealu, balu; cognate with Old Norse bǫl, Old Saxon balu, Old High German balo, Gothic balw-; akin to Russian bolʾ “pain”

Other definitions for bale (3 of 5)

bale3
[ beyl ]

noun

Other definitions for bale (4 of 5)

bale4
[ beyl ]

verb (used with or without object),baled, bal·ing.
  1. a spelling variant of bail3 (defs. 1, 2, 4).

Other definitions for Bâle (5 of 5)

Bâle
[ bahl ]

noun
  1. French name of Basel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use bale in a sentence

  • Another use of mats is in the baling of two of the staple products of the Philippines, tobacco and abaca.

    Philippine Mats | Hugo H. Miller
  • The Bontoc Peninsula of Tayabas produces great quantities of baling mats and bayons.

    Philippine Mats | Hugo H. Miller
  • To him it was a baling tin; here there were no boats to be baled out—where was the use of it?

    The Beach of Dreams | H. De Vere Stacpoole

British Dictionary definitions for bale (1 of 5)

bale1

/ (beɪl) /


noun
  1. a large bundle, esp of a raw or partially processed material, bound by ropes, wires, etc, for storage or transportation: bale of hay

  2. a large package or carton of goods

  1. US 500 pounds of cotton

  2. a group of turtles

  3. Australian and NZ See wool bale

verb
  1. to make (hay, etc) into a bale or bales

  2. to put (goods) into packages or cartons

  1. Australian and NZ to pack and compress (wool) into wool bales

Origin of bale

1
C14: probably from Old French bale, from Old High German balla ball 1

British Dictionary definitions for bale (2 of 5)

bale2

/ (beɪl) /


nounarchaic
  1. evil; injury

  2. woe; suffering; pain

Origin of bale

2
Old English bealu; related to Old Norse böl evil, Gothic balwa, Old High German balo

British Dictionary definitions for bale (3 of 5)

bale3

/ (beɪl) /


verb
  1. a variant spelling of bail 2

British Dictionary definitions for bale (4 of 5)

bale4

/ (beɪl) /


noun
  1. a variant spelling of bail 4

British Dictionary definitions for Bâle (5 of 5)

Bâle

/ (bɑl) /


noun
  1. the French name for Basle

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012