hearse

1 of 2

noun

ˈhərs

Synonyms of hearse next

: an elaborate framework erected over a coffin or tomb to which memorial verses or epitaphs are attached

: a triangular candelabra for 15 candles used especially at Tenebrae

archaic : coffin

obsolete : bier sense 1

: a vehicle for conveying the dead to the grave

hearse

2 of 2

verb

hearsed; hearsing

transitive verb

archaic : to place on or in a hearse

: to convey in a hearse

: bury

Did you know?

The Evolution of Hearse

Medieval French used the word herce for a harrow, a farm tool used to break up and smooth the soil. Herce was also applied to a triangular frame that was used for holding candles. Herce was borrowed into Middle English as herse. In those days, a large and decorative framework might be raised over the tomb or coffin of an honored person. Because this framework was often decorated with candles, the word herse was applied to it. A series of slightly changed meanings led to the use of herse (Modern English hearse) for a platform for a corpse or coffin, and from that to a vehicle to carry the dead. The verb hearse emerged late in the 16th century.

Examples of hearse in a Sentence

Verb the cemetery hearses an average of eight bodies a week

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Following the shoot, the hearse in question has been making frequent appearances all over Helsinki. —

Marta Balaga, Variety, 22 Sep. 2023 The hearse tested here fetches not only the freshly deceased but also $69,858 per copy. —

John Phillips, Car and Driver, 26 Aug. 2023 Holzman had a funeral employee drive the hearse into the parking lot, pull out the casket and open it. —

Jonathan Edwards, Washington Post, 21 July 2023 On Tuesday, several hearses and funeral corteges were seen at key locations in St. Petersburg, as local media scrambled to find the location of Prigozhin’s funeral. —

Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023 Riding in a hearse—all 21 feet of it—is a harrowing experience. —

John Phillips, Car and Driver, 26 Aug. 2023 Another funeral cortege with three hearses drew up at Beloostrovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg, after it was seen at the manège of the First Cadet Corps, where security guards shooed away journalists and members of the public. —

Robyn Dixon, Washington Post, 29 Aug. 2023 In 1851, this meant huge steam hammers, hydraulics, printing presses, and an expanding hearse. —

Cassie Werber, Quartz, 2 May 2023 Soon, the silver hearse carrying Villavicencio’s body left the morgue, and the crowd began to clap, at first mournfully, then with rapid anger. —

Julie Turkewitz, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Aug. 2023

Verb

All of this is performed in a 135,000-square-foot factory in the dankest recesses of Lima, Ohio, by S&S Superior, a company that has been building hearses for 71 years. —

John Phillips, Car and Driver, 26 Aug. 2023 Meanwhile, most ambulance services were operated by morticians, because hearses were roomy enough for people to lie flat. —

Dhruv Khullar, The New Yorker, 12 July 2023 On Thursday, two hearses carrying the bodies of Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown crossed the international bridge to Brownsville, where the remains were handed over to U.S. authorities, according to The Associated Press. —

Dianne Solis, Dallas News, 10 Mar. 2023 Organ donor's body saves driver as crash leaves hearse dangling over canyon Organ donor's body saves driver as crash leav... —

CBS News, 18 Apr. 2023 Detectives and evidence technicians remained in the home collecting evidence late Tuesday, long after hearses had left the driveway. —

Doha Madani, NBC News, 20 Apr. 2023 On Thursday, two hearses carrying the bodies of Woodard and Brown crossed the international bridge to Brownsville, where the remains were handed over to U.S. authorities. —

James Pollard, Fortune, 10 Mar. 2023 On Thursday, two hearses carrying the bodies of Shaeed Woodard and Zindell Brown crossed the international bridge to Brownsville, where the remains were handed over to U.S. authorities. —

Alfredo Corchado, Dallas News, 10 Mar. 2023 Once on the freeway, the escort was assumed by a veterans motorcycle organization, in front and back of the white Cadillac hearse all the way to Hull’s Walnut Creek Chapel. —

Sam Whiting, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 Aug. 2021 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'hearse.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English herse, from Anglo-French herce harrow, frame for holding candles, from Latin hirpic-, hirpex harrow

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1592, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler

The first known use of hearse was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Cite this Entry

Style

“Hearse.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hearse. Accessed 29 Sep. 2023.

Copy Citation

Kids Definition

hearse

noun

ˈhərs

: a vehicle for conveying the dead to the grave

Etymology

Noun

Middle English herse "a triangular frame for holding candles," from early French herce "frame for holding candles, harrow," from Latin hirpex "harrow"

Word Origin

An early form of French used the word herce for a harrow, a farm tool used to break up and smooth the soil. Herce was also applied to a triangular frame that was similar in shape to the frame of a harrow and was used for holding candles. Herce was borrowed into English as hearse, and both the literal sense of "harrow" and the extended sense of "a frame for holding candles" were kept. In those days a large and decorative framework might be raised over the tomb or coffin of an honored person. Because this framework was often decorated with candles, the word hearse was applied to it. A series of slightly changed meanings led to the use of hearse for a platform for a corpse or coffin, and from that to a vehicle to carry the dead to the grave.