tomb

1 of 2

noun

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 adjective

tomb

2 of 2

verb

tombed; tombing; tombs

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
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
The Etruscans, a pre-Roman group who resided in the area in the first millennium B.C.E., left behind tombs, a pyramid and miscellaneous structures. Lanta Davis and Vince Reighard, Smithsonian Magazine, 25 Oct. 2024 Henry Harrison Getty was a wealthy lumber merchant who had the tomb constructed after the death of his wife Carrie Eliza in 1890. Marianne Mather, Chicago Tribune, 24 Oct. 2024
Verb
In order to become proper Chinese third graders—to go all the way from Heaven to tomb—Natasha and Ariel needed to memorize a total of sixteen hundred characters. Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023 See all Example Sentences for tomb 

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

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tomb was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near tomb

Cite this Entry

“Tomb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tomb. Accessed 10 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

tomb

noun
ˈtüm
1
2
: a house or burial chamber for dead people

More from Merriam-Webster on tomb

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!