tomb

1 of 2

noun

ˈtüm 

1

a

: an excavation in which a corpse is buried : grave

b

: a place of interment

2

: a house, chamber, or vault for the dead

3

: a building or structure resembling a tomb (as in appearance)

tombless

ˈtüm-ləs 

adjective

tomb

2 of 2

verb

tombed; tombing; tombs

transitive verb

: bury, entomb

Synonyms of tomb

Noun

• burial
• grave
• cemetery
• sepulchre

Verb

• bury
• inter

Examples of tomb in a Sentence

Noun

the tomb of Alexander the Great

explored the historic graveyard and saw tombs that dated back two centuries

Verb

Forest Lawn is where many of Tinseltown's immortals are tombed for all eternity.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

The scrolls were uncovered during an excavation in the Qurna area on Luxor's West Bank, near the tomb of Seneb. —Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 9 Apr. 2026

Its above-ground tombs tell centuries of stories and offer a striking visual unlike any other American burial ground. —Lauren Schuster, Charlotte Observer, 8 Apr. 2026

Many markets in Asia are closed on Monday for holidays, as Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong celebrate Easter, while mainland China and Taiwan celebrate Qingming Festival, the tomb-sweeping holiday. —Anniek Bao, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2026

One Gospel account ends abruptly with women fleeing from the empty tomb. —John Blake, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English tombe, from Anglo-French tumbe, from Late Latin tumba sepulchral mound, from Greek tymbos; perhaps akin to Latin tumēre to be swollen — more at thumb entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

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

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tomb

• blume
• boom
• broom
• doom
• flume
• fume
• gloom
• glume
• groom
• loom
• plume
• rheum

Kids Definition

tomb

noun

ˈtüm

1

: grave entry 2 sense 1

2

: a house or burial chamber for dead people