urn

noun

ˈərn 

1

: a vessel that is typically an ornamental vase on a pedestal and that is used for various purposes (such as preserving the ashes of the dead after cremation)

2

: a closed vessel usually with a spigot for serving a hot beverage

a coffee urn

Examples of urn in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

On the opposite riverbank, the 60,000-seater bowl of Perth Stadium will host its first Ashes Test — carrying Australian hopes for a winning start to their defence of the urn. —Michael Bailey, New York Times, 19 Nov. 2025

And yeah, and then families can take it all or just take a smaller urn-sized portion, totally up to them. —Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2025

Latah County Prosecutor Bill Thompson acknowledged the error, and rescinded the request beyond the expenses for urns totaling about $3,000. —Kevin Fixler november 13, Idaho Statesman, 13 Nov. 2025

On display are handsome cutting boards, crosses, urns and custom furniture. —Suzanne Wright, USA Today, 11 Nov. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English urne, from Latin urna

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for urn

• berne
• burn
• churn
• dern
• earn
• erne
• fern
• hern
• hirn
• learn
• morne
• quern

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Kids Definition

urn

noun

ˈərn 

1

: a container that has the form of a vase on a base and often is used for keeping the ashes of the dead

2

: a closed vessel usually with a faucet for serving a hot beverage

coffee urn