grave

1 of 6

noun (1)

1
: an excavation (see excavation sense 2) for burial of a body
broadly : a burial place
2
a
: death sense 1a
believes there is life beyond the grave

grave

2 of 6

adjective

ˈgrāv How to pronounce grave (audio)
in sense 3 often
ˈgräv How to pronounce grave (audio)
graver; gravest
1
a
: meriting serious consideration : important
grave problems
b
: likely to produce great harm or danger
a grave mistake
c
: significantly serious : considerable, great
grave importance
d
obsolete : authoritative, weighty
2
: having a serious and dignified quality or demeanor
a grave and thoughtful look
3
a
of an accent mark : having the form `
b
: marked with a grave accent
c
: of the variety indicated by a grave accent
4
: low-pitched in sound
5
: drab in color : somber
gravely adverb
graveness noun
: a grave accent ` used to show that a vowel is pronounced with a fall of pitch (as in ancient Greek), that a vowel has a certain quality (such as è in French), that a final e is stressed and close and that a final o is stressed and low (as in Italian), that a syllable has a degree of stress between maximum and minimum (as in phonetic transcription), or that the e of the English ending -ed is to be pronounced (as in "this cursèd day")

grave

4 of 6

adverb or adjective

gra·​ve ˈgrä-(ˌ)vā How to pronounce grave (audio)
: slowly and solemnly
used as a direction in music

grave

5 of 6

verb (1)

graved; graven ˈgrā-vən How to pronounce grave (audio) or graved; graving

transitive verb

1
a
: to carve or cut (something, such as letters or figures) into a hard surface : engrave
graved the dates of his birth and death on the headstone
b
: to carve or shape with a chisel : sculpture
2
: to impress or fix (a thought, a memory, etc.) deeply
3
archaic : dig, excavate

grave

6 of 6

verb (2)

graved; graving

transitive verb

: to clean and pay with pitch
grave a ship's bottom
Choose the Right Synonym for grave

serious, grave, solemn, sedate, staid, sober, earnest mean not light or frivolous.

serious implies a concern for what really matters.

a serious play about social injustice

grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.

read the proclamation in a grave voice

solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.

a sad and solemn occasion

sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.

remained sedate amid the commotion

staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint.

a quiet and staid community

sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity.

a sober look at the state of our schools

earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.

an earnest reformer

Examples of grave in a Sentence

Adjective This violation of school rules is a grave matter. His carelessness could have grave consequences. They have placed themselves in grave danger. I have grave doubts about this plan. suffering from a grave illness The judge issued his ruling with a grave expression. The French word père is written with a grave accent over the first e.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
In Until August, a middle-aged woman, Ana Magdalena Bach, pays annual visits to an unnamed island to lay flowers on her mother's grave. Carrie Kahn, NPR, 6 Mar. 2024 The film focuses largely on British writer/producer Philippa Langley’s leading role in the search for Richard III’s lost grave. Leslie Katz, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Navalny was buried at a cemetery in the snowy southeastern outskirts of the capital after a short Russian Orthodox ceremony, with vast crowds waiting outside the church and then streaming to the fresh grave of President Vladimir Putin‘s fiercest critic with flowers and antigovernment chants. Dasha Litvinova and Katie Marie Davies, Los Angeles Times, 1 Mar. 2024 Paredes’ remains were found in a shallow grave Nov. 23, 1976, near Katherine’s Landing, deputies said. Helena Wegner, Sacramento Bee, 22 Feb. 2024 The graves’ contents also suggest a certain status. Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Feb. 2024 His remains were removed from the pauper’s grave on Feb. 2 and then taken to a funeral home. Jon Schuppe, NBC News, 22 Feb. 2024 The graves constituted a series of shallow, rectangular pits, one of which contained the skeletal remains of a child in a shrunken position, officials said. Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 16 Feb. 2024 In addition to Kourtney and Khloé, the two welcomed daughter Kim along with son Robert Kardashian Jr. On a 2022 episode of The Kardashians, Kris revealed that Kourtney's husband, Travis Barker, went to Robert Sr.'s grave to ask for his blessing to marry his daughter. Ingrid Vasquez, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024
Adjective
So why then would Facebook have initially blocked posts about a drama that is trying to enlighten the public about what even the Department of Homeland Security acknowledges as one of the gravest threats facing the nation? Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 5 Mar. 2024 The Gray Lady has for several weeks been in the crosshairs of a vocal set of critics and readers who believe that Donald Trump poses a grave threat to American democracy and that the influential news organization isn’t adequately conveying those stakes to the public. Oliver Darcy, CNN, 5 Mar. 2024 Those who remain physically unscathed, Save the Children says, are experiencing grave psychological trauma. Niha Masih, Washington Post, 29 Feb. 2024 The third and smallest of the cubs at only 500 grams was given a grave prognosis from the start due to its small size and severe laceration on its leg. Stephanie Gallman Jordan, Southern Living, 29 Feb. 2024 Too rare or too well, either way, servers whisk steaks back to the kitchen upon request with absolute understanding, a grave affirmational nod. Rita Bullwinkel, New York Times, 27 Feb. 2024 The grave relief of Krito and her dead mother, Timarista, display these values. Jeanine Barone, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Worse yet, the trails that people use to return to their spirit homes after death are in grave danger. Debra Utacia Krol, The Arizona Republic, 26 Feb. 2024 United Nations experts cited concerns about the possibility of grave suffering that execution by pure nitrogen inhalation may cause. S. Dev, CBS News, 21 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'grave.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Middle English, from Old English græf; akin to Old High German grab grave, Old English grafan to dig

Adjective and Noun (2)

Middle French, from Latin gravis heavy, grave — more at grieve

Adverb or adjective

Italian, literally, grave, from Latin gravis

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Old English grafan; akin to Old High German graban to dig, Old Church Slavonic pogreti to bury

Verb (2)

Middle English graven

First Known Use

Noun (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adjective

1539, in the meaning defined at sense 1d

Noun (2)

1609, in the meaning defined above

Adverb Or Adjective

1683, in the meaning defined above

Verb (1)

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 3

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of grave was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near grave

Cite this Entry

“Grave.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/grave. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

grave

1 of 4 verb
graved; graven ˈgrā-vən How to pronounce grave (audio) or graved; graving

grave

2 of 4 noun
1
: a hole dug to bury a body in
2

grave

3 of 4 adjective
ˈgrāv,
 in sense 3 often  ˈgräv
1
a
: deserving serious consideration : important
a grave matter
b
: threatening great harm or danger
received a grave injury
2
: dignified in appearance or manner : solemn, serious
a grave and thoughtful look
3
: of, marked by, or being an accent mark having the form `
gravely adverb
graveness noun

grave

4 of 4 adverb or adjective
gra·​ve
ˈgräv-(ˌ)ā
: in a slow and solemn manner
used as a direction in music
Etymology

Verb

Old English grafan "dig, carve"

Adjective

from early French grave "important, serious, weighty," from Latin gravis "heavy, serious" — related to aggravate, gravity, grieve

Medical Definition

grave

adjective
: very serious : dangerous to life
used of an illness or its prospects
a grave prognosis

More from Merriam-Webster on grave

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