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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
From the M-W Editors
undertaker was our Word of the Day on 07/14/2014. Hear the podcast!
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Examples of undertaker in a Sentence
the undertaker wore black clothes and a solemn expression
Recent Examples of undertaker from the Web
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Normally, undertakers take bodies away from hospitals; Alice, a once-beautiful mother of two, was headed in the opposite direction.
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Legend says that the mayor and local undertaker went against the King family's wishes and moved his body secretly to the new location.
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In short order some managed to become physicians, legislators, undertakers, insurance men.
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The actor will take the lead as an undertaker who finds his business booming when outlaws take over his frontier town.
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Three years before declaring his candidacy for New Jersey governor, Democrat Phil Murphy had to meet an undertaker.
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.
First Known Use of undertaker
15th century
UNDERTAKER Defined for English Language Learners
undertaker
playDefinition of undertaker for English Language Learners
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: a person whose job is to arrange and manage funerals
UNDERTAKER Defined for Kids
undertaker
playDefinition of undertaker for Students
: a person whose business is to prepare the dead for burial and to take charge of funerals
Medical Dictionary
undertaker
playMedical Definition of undertaker
: an individual whose business is to prepare the dead for burial and to arrange and manage funerals—called also mortician
Learn More about undertaker
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See words that rhyme with undertaker Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for undertaker Spanish Central: Translation of undertaker Nglish: Translation of undertaker for Spanish speakers
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