cemetery

noun

cem·​e·​tery ˈse-mə-ˌter-ē 

-ˌte-rē

plural cemeteries

: a burial ground

Synonyms

• boneyard
• God's acre
• graveyard
• memorial park
• necropolis
• potter's field

Examples of cemetery in a Sentence

many of the soldiers who died in the battle are buried in a cemetery nearby

Recent Examples on the Web

Then, instead of going to an L.A. cemetery to bury him, Athena and her children board a plane with Bobby’s casket and take him back to St. Paul, Minnesota to be buried with his first wife, Marcy, and his two children, Robert Jr. and Brooke. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 2 May 2025

Officials in Groton, Connecticut, on Monday announced the arrest of a man in connection with the murder of Suzanne Wormser, 58, whose body was found dismembered and stuffed into a suitcase near a cemetery on March 19. —Audrey Conklin, FOXNews.com, 29 Apr. 2025

One night, the cemetery is plundered; graves are tipped over, their wi-fi connections disabled. —Stephanie Zacharek, Time, 29 Apr. 2025

The Secret Life of a Cemetery is a paean to the renowned Parisian cemetery, Père Lachaise. —Heller McAlpin, NPR, 28 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English cimitery, from Anglo-French cimiterie, from Late Latin coemeterium, from Greek koimētērion sleeping chamber, burial place, from koiman to put to sleep; akin to Greek keisthai to lie, Sanskrit śete he lies

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for cemetery

• accessary
• adversary
• ancillary
• arbitrary
• aviary
• axillary
• beriberi
• breviary
• budgetary
• capillary
• catenary
• cautionary

Kids Definition

cemetery

noun

cem·​e·​tery ˈsem-ə-ˌter-ē 

plural cemeteries

: a place where dead people are buried : graveyard

Etymology

Middle English cimitery "cemetery," from early French cimiterie (same meaning), from Latin coemeterium "cemetery," from Greek koimētērion "sleeping chamber, burial place," from koiman "to put to sleep"