undertaker

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noun un·der·tak·er \ ˌən-dər-ˈtā-kər , sense 2 is ˈən-dər-ˌtā- \

Definition of undertaker

1 :one who undertakes :one who takes the risk and management of business :entrepreneur

2 :one whose business is to prepare the dead for burial and to arrange and manage funerals

3 :an Englishman taking over forfeited lands in Ireland in the 16th and 17th centuries

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undertaker was our Word of the Day on 07/14/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of undertaker in a Sentence

the undertaker wore black clothes and a solemn expression

Recent Examples of undertaker from the Web

His brain will already be shook, his money will already be took, and his name will already be in the undertaker’s book.

— lance pugmire, latimes.com, "Conor McGregor wants to keep boxing and fighting in UFC," 14 Aug. 2017
Normally, undertakers take bodies away from hospitals; Alice, a once-beautiful mother of two, was headed in the opposite direction.

— mark johnson, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "In tracking a lethal family of diseases that threatens humans and animals, scientists have become the hunters," 6 July 2017
Legend says that the mayor and local undertaker went against the King family's wishes and moved his body secretly to the new location.

— black belt, AL.com, "The 20 most patriotic places in Alabama," 3 July 2017
In short order some managed to become physicians, legislators, undertakers, insurance men.

— Longreads, "American Dolchstoss," 19 May 2017
The actor will take the lead as an undertaker who finds his business booming when outlaws take over his frontier town.

— alex ritman, The Hollywood Reporter, "Cannes: Emile Hirsch to Star in Western 'Never Grow Old' (Exclusive)," 8 May 2017
Three years before declaring his candidacy for New Jersey governor, Democrat Phil Murphy had to meet an undertaker.

— kate king, WSJ, "In New Jersey, Boss-Run Politics Rules," 25 Apr. 2017
The neighbor, an undertaker, responded by erecting a 10-foot-long coffin on his roof and painting a skull and crossbones on it.

— bob morris, Town & Country, "Neighbor Wars: The Battles of the Richest (and Most Contentious) People Sharing a Boundary," 7 July 2015

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

Did You Know?

You may wonder how the word undertaker made the transition from "one who undertakes" to "one who makes a living in the funeral business." The latter meaning descends from the use of the word to mean "one who takes on business responsibilities." In the 18th century, a funeral-undertaker was someone who undertook, or managed, a funeral business. There were many undertakers in those days, undertaking all sorts of businesses, but as time went on undertaker became specifically identified with the profession of arranging burial. Today, "funeral director" is more commonly used, but undertaker still appears.