Definition of 'bale'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense bales
, present participle baling
, past tense, past participle baled
1. countable noun [usually plural]
2. verb
If something such as hay, cloth, or paper is baled, it is tied together tightly.
[Also VERB noun] 3. See also bail
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
bale in British English 1
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
4.
a group of turtles
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C14: probably from Old French bale, from Old High German balla ball1bale in British English 3
verb
a variant spelling of bail2
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
bale in British English 4
noun
a variant spelling of bail4
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Bâle in British English
noun
the French name for Basle
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Bâle in American English
French
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
bale in American English 1
noun
1.
a large bundle, esp. a standardized quantity of goods, as ginned cotton, hay, straw, etc., compressed, bound, and sometimes wrapped
verb transitiveWord forms: baled or ˈbaling
2.
to make into a bale or bales
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈbundle
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Derived forms
baler (ˈbaler)
noun
bale in American English 2
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
bale in American English 3
noun
Archaic
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Examples of 'bale' in a sentence
bale
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bale
British English: bale
NOUN /beɪl/
A bale is a large quantity of something such as hay, cloth, or paper, tied together tightly.
...bales of hay.
British English: bale
VERB /beɪl/
If something such as hay, cloth, or paper is baled, it is tied together tightly.
Once hay has been cut and baled, it has to go through some chemical processes.
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Related terms of
bale
Source
Definition of bale from the Collins English Dictionary
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