bury

verb

ˈber-ē 

ˈbe-rē,

 also  ˈbər-

buried; burying

transitive verb

1

: to dispose of by depositing in or as if in the earth

buried their pet rabbit in the backyard

especially : to inter with funeral ceremonies

was buried with full military honors

2

a

: to conceal by or as if by covering with earth

a dog burying a bone

buried treasure

b

: to cover from view

buried her face in her hands

Their car was buried under the snow.

3

a

: to have done with

burying their differences

b

: to conceal in obscurity

buried the retraction among the classified ads

c

: submerge, engross

—usually used with in

buried himself in his books

4

: to put (a playing card) out of play by placing it in or under the dealer's pack

5

sports : to succeed emphatically or impressively in making (a shot)

bury a jumper

bury a putt

6

: to defeat overwhelmingly

They were buried by a score of 15-2.

Phrases

bury the hatchet

: to settle a disagreement : become reconciled

time for them to bury the hatchet and start working together again

Synonyms

• entomb
• hearse
• inhume
• inter
• lay
• put away
• tomb

Choose the Right Synonym for bury

hide, conceal, screen, secrete, bury mean to withhold or withdraw from sight.

hide may or may not suggest intent.

hide in the closet

a house hidden in the woods

conceal usually does imply intent and often specifically implies a refusal to divulge.

concealed the weapon

screen implies an interposing of something that prevents discovery.

a house screened by trees

secrete suggests a depositing in a place unknown to others.

secreted the amulet inside his shirt

bury implies covering up so as to hide completely.

buried the treasure

Examples of bury in a Sentence

He was buried with full military honors.

Their ancestors are buried in the local cemetery.

cultures that bury their dead

The dog buried her bone.

He buried the money in the backyard.

the search for buried treasure

He has learned to bury his feelings.

She buried her face in her hands.

The disclaimer was buried in the fine print.

The newspaper covered the story, but it was buried in the back of section C.

Recent Examples on the Web

But one central mystery lingers: who was buried here? —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 24 Apr. 2024

The nine-generation tree stretched from a founding male buried not long after the Avars first arrived to a descendant buried 250 years later. —Byandrew Curry, science.org, 24 Apr. 2024

Acquired for $13 billion by UnitedHealth Group in a deal that was completed in 2022, Change is buried, like the tiniest nesting doll, inside the $372 billion juggernaut’s $227 billion health services arm, Optum, and integrated into its $32 billion data analytics unit, Optum Insight. —Erika Fry, Fortune, 23 Apr. 2024

Albert King, a Black soldier killed by a white military police officer in 1941, was blamed for his own death and buried in an unmarked grave. —Mattathias Schwartz, New York Times, 23 Apr. 2024

Nymphs especially rely on sap from tree roots for survival when buried underground. —Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 22 Apr. 2024

But when the two finally decided to bury the hatchet, fate brought them together. —Heran Mamo, Billboard, 19 Apr. 2024

His remains were collected and buried in Palmyra, Missouri — or so everyone thought, the college said. —Don Sweeney, Sacramento Bee, 17 Apr. 2024

The event will be an interactive family-style seafood soiree on the Moonlight Deck, featuring a giant fish placed on a bed of hot coals, covered with seaweed and burlap, and buried in sand to roast inside a salt shell. —Linda McIntosh, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English burien, birien, beryen, going back to Old English byrgan, byrian, going back to Germanic *burgjan-, probably meaning "to conceal" (whence also Old Norse byrgja "to close, shut, hide"), zero-grade derivative from the base of *bergan- "to keep safe" — more at harbor entry 1

First Known Use

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing bury

• bury the hatchet

Kids Definition

bury

verb

ˈber-ē 

buried; burying

1

: to place a dead body in the earth, a grave, or the sea

2

: to place in the ground and cover over for concealment

buried treasure

3

: to cover up : hide

buried her face in her hands

Geographical Definition

Bury

geographical name

ˈber-ē 

town in Greater Manchester, northwestern England population 172,200