View synonyms for

haystack

[hey-stak]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

noun

a stack of hay with a conical or ridged top, built up in the mowed field so as to prevent the accumulation of moisture and promote drying.

haystack

/ ˈheɪˌrɪk, ˈheɪˌstæk /

noun

a large pile of hay, esp one built in the open air and covered with thatch

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Word History and Origins

Origin of haystack¹

1425–75; late Middle English. See hay, stack

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Idioms and Phrases

see needle in a haystack.

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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He says looking for shrapnel in patients is like "looking for a needle in a haystack"- it is not always successful and delays treatment of other casualties.

From

“It’s a haystack of dry fuels that are just waiting to burn,” he said.

From

It's "very easy to hide that needle in the haystack," Mr Thompson added.

From

Dr Harry Bennett, an expert in maritime history, said the dive team had found "the underwater archaeological equivalent of a needle in a haystack".

From

She was confronted with a fresh list of roughly 500 names, and, in her words, a new search for "a needle in a haystack".

From

hay shock hayward

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