What does "bale" mean?
Evil, especially considered as an active force for destruction or death.
Bale
/beɪl/ name, noun, verb
name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: Evil, especially considered as an active force for destruction or death.
- Grammar: bale is listed as name, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: aching heart, agony, agony of mind, anguish.
- Useful contrasts: loose material, unbound bundle, unbundle.
- Usage evidence: Bale was fouled, and his team was awarded a free kick.
How to use "bale"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bale" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bale" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bale" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bale" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bale" is acting as name, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "aching heart" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bale", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 Evil, especially considered as an active force for destruction or death. uncountable
- 2 A large fire, a conflagration or bonfire. obsolete
- 3 A rounded bundle or package of goods in a cloth cover, and corded for storage or transportation.
"So having made up my mind, I packed up in bales a quantity of precious stuffs suited for sea-trade and repaired with them from Baghdad-city to Bassorah-town, where I found ship ready for sea, and in her a company of considerable merchants."
- 4 a large bundle bound for storage or transport wordnet
- 5 Suffering, woe, torment. uncountable
"That other ſwayne, like aſhes deadly pale, Lay in the lap of death, rewing his wretched bale."
Show 7 more definitions
- 6 A funeral pyre. archaic
- 7 A bundle of compressed fibers (especially hay, straw, cotton, or wool), compacted for shipping and handling and bound by twine or wire.
- 8 A beacon-fire. archaic
- 9 A measurement of hay equal to 10 flakes. Approximately 70-90 lbs (32-41 kg).
- 10 A measurement of paper equal to 10 reams.
- 11 A block of compressed cannabis.
- 12 A group of turtles. collective
Verb
- 1 To wrap into a bale. transitive
- 2 To remove water from a boat with buckets etc. British
- 3 make into a bale wordnet
Proper Noun
- 1 A surname.
- 2 A municipality of Croatia.
Synonyms
All synonymsExample
"Bale was fouled, and his team was awarded a free kick."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bale"?
Common synonyms include: aching heart, agony, agony of mind, anguish, bales, baling.
How do you use "bale" in a sentence?
Bale was fouled, and his team was awarded a free kick.
How do you pronounce "bale"?
Pronounced /beɪl/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
From Middle English bale (“evil”), from Old English bealu, from Proto-West Germanic *balu, from Proto-Germanic *balwą. Cognate with Low German bal- (“bad, ill”), Gothic 𐌱𐌰𐌻𐍅𐌴𐌹𐌽𐍃 (balweins, “torture”), Old High German balo (“destruction”), Old Norse bǫl (“disaster”).
Etymology 2
From Middle English bale (“pyre, funeral pyre”), from Old English bǣl (“pyre, funeral pyre”), from Proto-Germanic *bēlą (“pyre”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰel- (“to shine; gleam; sparkle”). Cognate with Old Norse bál (which may have been the direct source for the English word).
Etymology 3
From Middle English bale (“bale”), from Old French bale and Medieval Latin bala, of Germanic origin. Doublet of ball.
Etymology 4
Alternative spelling of bail.