haystack

American  

[hey-stak] / ˈheɪˌstæk /

noun

1. a stack of hay with a conical or ridged top, built up in the mowed field so as to prevent the accumulation of moisture and promote drying.

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haystack British  

/ ˈheɪˌrɪk, ˈheɪˌstæk /

noun

1. a large pile of hay, esp one built in the open air and covered with thatch

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haystack Idioms  

1. see needle in a haystack.

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Etymology

Origin of haystack

1425–75; late Middle English. See hay, stack

Explanation

A haystack is a pile or bundle of hay. On farms, after hay has been cut, it's formed into haystacks until being fed to farm animals. Haystacks come in different shapes and sizes, including piles of rectangular blocks of hay; rounded bales; and pointed piles of hay. These haystacks are all packed tightly, and they're often covered to protect them from the rain. You've probably heard the phrase "a needle in a haystack," an idiom that's used when a search is on for some impossibly tiny thing that's lost.

Example Sentences

It calls for building 9-meter radio dishes in four locations—Wyoming, the Canary Islands, Chile, and Mexico—and adding the 37-meter dish at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Haystack Observatory.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 17, 2024

Monet stands out for his use of violet in his Lily, Haystack, Snow and Rouen Cathedral series of paintings.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 19, 2023

Beachgoers spotted the cougar Sunday morning on Haystack Rock, and the police department cordoned off an area on the beach for the animal to safely leave.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 17, 2023

But an unexpected visitor graced Haystack Rock over the weekend: a cougar.

From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 17, 2023

Dandelion and Haystack scrambled over the bank and dropped into the lane.

From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams