bier

as in coffin
a boxlike container for holding a dead body lifted the bier from its stand and placed it in the hearse for its final journey

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of bier While lying in state, the coffin was placed not on an elevated bier, but facing the pews. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025 Inside the 16th-century basilica, his casket won't be put on an elevated bier—as was the case with past popes—but will just be placed on the main alta, simply facing the pews. Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 Apr. 2025 Last year, Francis approved new funeral rites stating his body should be on view in a simple coffin rather than being placed on an elevated bier, per the Associated Press. Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025 But, under the new funeral structure, the pope will be laid directly into an open coffin, eliminating the use of the bier. Alec Schemmel, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025 The German microbrewery/restaurant has installed new TVs in its bier hall and at the bar for your viewing pleasure. Sam Allard, Axios, 7 Feb. 2025 The Senate may well have all been murdered on Lucilla’s weird, theater-y funeral bier. Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 22 Nov. 2024 Among the changes, the new rites eliminate the practice of placing the pope on an elevated bier in St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing. Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bier
Noun
  • Netanyahu's office announced earlier on Sunday that Israel received a coffin from the Red Cross inside the Gaza Strip.
    Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 9 Nov. 2025
  • Tragically, one of William's next royal engagements would be walking behind his mother's coffin on the day of her funeral.
    Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 9 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • Rosebud Lee — like Emmett Till’s mother, months later — insisted her husband’s casket be open at his funeral.
    Equal Justice Initiative, USA Today, 6 Nov. 2025
  • At the church, a contingent of the Patriot Guard, who had ridden alongside, welcomed him, and an Honor Guard from the Army’s National 40th Division carried in his casket for a small, private ceremony that included military honors.
    Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 6 Nov. 2025
Noun
  • The Suleymaniye Mosque is considered Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan's most splendid Istanbul mosque, and he himself is buried in a tomb nearby.
    Katie Nadworny, Travel + Leisure, 8 Nov. 2025
  • But now, winners of the lottery will be granted the opportunity to buy and restore one of 30 tombs in three different cemeteries, with city hall agreeing to lease the corresponding burial plot to those who meet certain standards.
    Jack Guy, CNN Money, 5 Nov. 2025

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“Bier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bier. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

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