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

So the drum resurfaced as the second discovered in a burial context, cementing a new understanding of the role the drum played in ancient southwestern Chinese cultures. —Maria Mocerino, Interesting Engineering, 15 Mar. 2026

His religious order, the Redemptorist Fathers and Brothers, had paid for the burial of scores of the drug-war dead. —Sheila Coronel, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2026

Unable to afford a proper burial, the victim’s husband and daughter have created a GoFundMe to help pay for services. —Emma Seiwell, New York Daily News, 12 Mar. 2026

Discovery tales → Archaeologists uncovered a 1,000-year-old tomb containing gold chest plates, ear ornaments and other elite burial treasures. —Staff, FOXNews.com, 10 Mar. 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

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

Kids Definition

burial

noun

buri·​al ˈber-ē-əl 

: the act of burying