: a combustible heap for burning a dead body as a funeral rite
broadly : a pile of material to be burned
a pyre of dead leaves

Examples of pyre in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The Nazis wanted to conceal the crime by burning the bodies on mass pyres. Gal Beckerman, The Atlantic, 22 Jan. 2025 Our ancestors once lit large pyres and worshipped fire gods. Daniel Immerwahr, The New Yorker, 14 Jan. 2025 Cheers and embers erupt as the giant pyres collapse. Chadd Scott, Forbes, 2 Jan. 2025 Dido, after her lover Aeneas deserts her, kills herself with his sword on a funeral pyre, but not before building an effigy of him to burn alongside her. Jennifer Wilson, The New Yorker, 2 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for pyre 

Word History

Etymology

Latin pyra, from Greek, from pyr fire — more at fire

First Known Use

1587, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of pyre was in 1587

Dictionary Entries Near pyre

Cite this Entry

“Pyre.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pyre. Accessed 1 Feb. 2025.

Kids Definition

pyre

noun
: a heap of wood for burning a dead body
also : a pile of material to be burned

More from Merriam-Webster on pyre

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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