pallbearer

noun pall·bear·er \ ˈpȯl-ˌber-ər \

|Updated on: 7 Jun 2018

Definition of pallbearer

: a person who helps to carry the coffin at a funeral; also : a member of the escort or honor guard of the coffin who does not actually help to carry it

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Recent Examples of pallbearer from the Web

The day his players served as pallbearers at the funeral of assistant coach Aaron Feis might have been the hardest, May said.

— manny navarro, miamiherald, "Douglas' football team plays first game since school shooting. Here's what happened | Miami Herald," 25 May 2018
My father was a pallbearer at Barbara Kennedy's funeral.

— Fox News, "Trump on the verge of a historic diplomatic triumph?," 28 Apr. 2018
Garcia, who wears a pin with Akins' initials on his hat at tournaments, served as a pallbearer at the funeral along with Brees.

— jeff duncan, NOLA.com, "Sergio Garcia bummed he didn't get to tee it off with relative Drew Brees," 25 Apr. 2018
Granddaughters offered readings, some of their voices shaky with emotion, while their eight grandsons were pallbearers.

— juan a. lozano, The Seattle Times, "Laughter, tears as former first lady Barbara Bush remembered," 22 Apr. 2018
Church bells tolled as pallbearers carried Hawking's casket inside the church and members of the public who gathered outside the chapel applauded as the funeral procession passed.

— kiara alfonseca /, NBC News, "Stephen Hawking laid to rest at funeral in Cambridge," 31 Mar. 2018
Bush’s eight grandson served as pallbearers, carrying the casket out of the church.

— hamza shaban, Philly.com, "'The first lady of the greatest generation': Barbara Bush honored by friends and family at private funeral in Houston," 21 Apr. 2018
The coffin was wheeled out of the church by eight of Mrs. Bush’s grandsons, who served as pallbearers.

— manny fernandez, New York Times, "Barbara Bush Is Remembered at Her Funeral for Her Wit and Tough Love," 21 Apr. 2018
Eight of Bush’s grandchildren served as pallbearers, wheeling her coffin out of the church.

— benjamin hart, Daily Intelligencer, "Bush Family, Crowd of Dignitaries Remember Barbara Bush," 21 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pallbearer.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.