burial

noun

buri·​al ˈber-ē-əl 

ˈbe-rē-

also ˈbər-ē-

often attributive

1

: grave, tomb

2

: the act or process of burying

Synonyms of burial

• funeral
• interment
• entombment
• burying

Examples of burial in a Sentence

They prepared the body for burial.

She wanted to give him a proper burial.

Did you attend the burial?

The law prohibits the burial of toxic substances without special permits.

Recent Examples on the Web

Engineers have completed the first permanent transfer of legacy solid radioactive waste into a dedicated near-surface burial site. — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 18 Sep. 2026

For years, there has been speculation that Nefertiti’s burial place may also be located there. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026

His workshop has long served Malaysia’s Chinese community, where coffins are intertwined with traditions related to death and burial. — ABC News, 17 Sep. 2026

But the complete burial of the young male horse was among the most exciting finds for the researchers. — Ahmed Shawkat, CBS News, 16 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English beriel, berial, back-formation from beriels (taken as a plural), from Old English byrgels; akin to Old Saxon burgisli tomb, Old English byrgan to bury — more at bury

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing burial

• burial ground
• burial plot

Rhymes for burial

• actuarial
• adversarial
• secretarial
• urticarial
• aerial
• areal
• ariel
• antimalarial
• biserial
• filarial
• malarial
• subaerial

Kids Definition

burial

noun

buri·​al ˈber-ē-əl 

: the act of burying