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

• 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

Across the landscape of northern Poland are dozens of cemeteries with early medieval burial mounds, known as Orzeszkowo-type barrows. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 1 July 2025

Ticket Information The crypt beneath the historic St Bride’s Church on Fleet Street contains Roman pavements, medieval foundations, and even plague burial sites. —Joseph V Micallef, Forbes.com, 28 June 2025

An Orthodox priest in Bucha named Andriy welcomed us to his church, which was bombed by Russia and sits on a mass burial site filled with the bodies of innocent civilians slaughtered by the Russians who occupied the city for a month in 2022. —Laura Thornton, Twin Cities, 27 June 2025

State employee health plans must include high-deductible options. Military and Veterans For military families and veterans: Eligibility for burial in state veterans cemeteries has been expanded. —Aliss Higham, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 June 2025

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