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

Other studies have found a correlation between geographic mobility and burial preference, perhaps because burial connects a person to a place in perpetuity. —Tanya D. Marsh, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2026

The discovery quickly turned a historic burial site into one of the most significant pollinator habitats ever documented. —Ryan Brennan, Charlotte Observer, 23 Apr. 2026

Defendants found responsible for desecrating burial sites can face fines of $10,000 per offense. —Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 21 Apr. 2026

State law specifically prohibits the taking, appropriation, excavation, destructioor alteration of burial sites. —Colson Thayer, PEOPLE, 21 Apr. 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