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

As anyone who has ever planned a funeral knows, $255 would barely cover the cost of flowers, let alone other burial or cremation costs. —Tom Margenau, Dallas Morning News, 1 Mar. 2026

Meanwhile, Shah Alam’s friends and family gathered at a mosque Thursday for his funeral, offering prayers before accompanying him to a cemetery for burial. —Alisha Ebrahimji, CNN Money, 27 Feb. 2026

The campground, which was converted from a station on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route, is also home to a cemetery with three burials. —Maura Fox, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2026

Their burial places were viewed as offering protection to the community, and they were honored like saints with festivals and religious rites. —Literary Hub, 27 Feb. 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