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.
a group of turtles.
evil; harm; misfortune.
woe; misery; sorrow.
a large bundle, esp of a raw or partially processed material, bound by ropes, wires, etc, for storage or transportation
bale of hay
a large package or carton of goods
500 pounds of cotton
a group of turtles
See wool bale
to make (hay, etc) into a bale or bales
to put (goods) into packages or cartons
to pack and compress (wool) into wool bales
evil; injury
woe; suffering; pain
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 ball 1
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”
A bale is a bound-up bundle, usually made of hay. When you drive past a farm in the fall, you'll often see bales of hay scattered across the fields. A bale is a compact, easy-to-move bundle of a crop like hay or cotton. Bales are formed in various shapes by a machine called a baler, and wrapped in twine or wire so they can be efficiently transported or stored. The word bale is Old French for "rolled-up bundle," from the same Germanic root as ball.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
To visualize microscopic asbestos fibers in talcum powder, he brought a bale of hay into a courtroom and dropped a needle into the blades.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 28, 2026
Minnesota is now moving toward allowing hempcrete and straw bale in all residential construction.
From BBC • Mar. 16, 2026
Unlike materials like cob, straw bale is adopted in the California residential building code.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 28, 2025
“Our farmers want to be in their fields, not in front of their screens,” Mr. Attal said, his notes resting on a bale of hay.
From New York Times • Jan. 26, 2024
Then Ivan heaved his arm from one side to the other, like he was throwing a bale of hay over his head, and the pool’s water rose up in a muddy tidal wave.
From Anya and the Dragon by Sofiya Pasternack
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
