bale

[ beyl ]

/ beɪl /

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noun

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.

verb (used with object), baled, bal·ing.

to make or form into bales: to bale wastepaper for disposal.

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Origin of bale

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, adjectivebaler, noun

Other definitions for bale (2 of 5)

bale²

[ beyl ]

/ beɪl /

noun Archaic.

evil; harm; misfortune.

woe; misery; sorrow.

Origin of bale

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 ]

/ beɪl /

noun

bail².

Other definitions for bale (4 of 5)

bale⁴

[ beyl ]

/ beɪl /

verb (used with or without object), baled, bal·ing.

a spelling variant of bail³ (defs. 1, 2, 4).

Other definitions for bale (5 of 5)

Bâle

[ bahl ]

/ bɑl /

noun

French name of Basel.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use bale in a sentence

“Bales is the beginning and not the end,” says Swift of the PTSD cases.
Will a Military Panel Show Any Mercy for Staff Sgt. Robert Bales?|Christine Pelisek|August 21, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whether that message resonates beyond the coverage of Bales case, though, remains to be seen.
Bales, Accused of Massacring Afghans, Will Try to Put the War on Trial|Winston Ross|January 3, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Bales reportedly showed risk factors for alcohol abuse, including violent behavior while drunk.
Pendleton Marines’ Car Crash Raises Questions of Alcohol Abuse in Military|Jamie Reno|June 17, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The government has since sequestered Karilyn Bales and her two children on base in the wake of the killings.
Military’s Internet Scrub of Robert Bales Data Was a Futile Whitewash Bid|Winston Ross|March 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST

Is Bales a rogue soldier with a drinking problem who went off on a killing spree?
Military’s Internet Scrub of Robert Bales Data Was a Futile Whitewash Bid|Winston Ross|March 26, 2012|DAILY BEAST
The bales of tobacco are carried on the backs of mules or horses to the city or to the nearest railway station.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
It appears, when hanging in bales at the shop-doors, like bundles of thick ragged leather.
Journal of a Voyage to Brazil|Maria Graham
The (p. 469) bales average in weight about forty oques (110 English pounds).
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
The covering of the bales is a sort of netting made by the peasants from goat's hair; it is elastic and of great strength.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.
Manilla tobacco is shipped in bales containing four hundred pounds net.
Tobacco; Its History, Varieties, Culture, Manufacture and Commerce|E. R. Billings.

British Dictionary definitions for bale (1 of 5)

bale¹

/ (beɪl) /

noun

a large bundle, esp of a raw or partially processed material, bound by ropes, wires, etc, for storage or transportationbale of hay

a large package or carton of goods

US 500 pounds of cotton

a group of turtles

Australian and NZ See wool bale

verb

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

to put (goods) into packages or cartons

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

Word Origin for bale

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

British Dictionary definitions for bale (2 of 5)

bale²

/ (beɪl) /

noun archaic

evil; injury

woe; suffering; pain

Word Origin for bale

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

a variant spelling of bail 2

British Dictionary definitions for bale (4 of 5)

bale⁴

/ (beɪl) /

noun

a variant spelling of bail 4

British Dictionary definitions for bale (5 of 5)

Bâle

/ (bɑl) /

noun

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

bale

Origin of bale

OTHER WORDS FROM bale

Other definitions for bale (2 of 5)

Origin of bale

Other definitions for bale (3 of 5)

Other definitions for bale (4 of 5)

Other definitions for bale (5 of 5)

Words related to bale

How to use bale in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for bale (1 of 5)

Word Origin for bale

British Dictionary definitions for bale (2 of 5)

Word Origin for bale

British Dictionary definitions for bale (3 of 5)

British Dictionary definitions for bale (4 of 5)

British Dictionary definitions for bale (5 of 5)