burial

noun

ˈber-ē-əl How to pronounce burial (audio)
Definition of burialnext
1
as in funeral
the act or ceremony of putting a dead body in its final resting place the children wanted to give the dead bird a proper burial in the backyard

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tomb
a final resting place for a dead person archaeologically significant artifacts, such as stone tools, have been discovered in Neanderthal burials

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of burial That mission continued with their documentary about the burial site, Do All Graves Matter? — Oliver Wu, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026 Preliminary explorations indicate these burials were looted in antiquity; passages linking them are thought to have been made by ancient robbers moving between the tombs. — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026 Authorities carried out a temporary burial of about 100 victims on Saturday, officials said, as forensic teams struggled to cope. — ABC News, 30 Aug. 2026 Authorities in Nepal have begun mass burials of hundreds of unidentified victims whose bodies had started to decompose. — James Powel, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for burial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burial
  1. funeral
  2. tomb
  3. interment
  4. grave
  5. entombment
  6. cemetery
  7. burying
Noun
  • Vucic, who is not attending the funeral, previously has accused Kos of lying.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
  • While in the nursing home, Papadopoulos missed his mother’s funeral.
    — Jayme Fraser, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of funeral
Noun
  • According to the mission, Sekhentiu-Ptah’s tomb contained the remains of a funerary chapel with its false door still in its original position.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 31 Aug. 2026
  • In fact, 58 people were present when King Tut’s tomb was opened, and only eight died within 12 years.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of tomb
Noun
  • In their home state, dates of observation extend through the day of interment.
    — Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
  • Cremation and interment services are being handled by Chapel Lawn Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens.
    — Philip Potempa, Chicago Tribune, 3 June 2026
Definition of interment
Noun
  • Reagan, no less than Lewis, probably is turning cartwheels in his grave.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • But the situation is far more tragic, with videos on social media showing dozens of coffins lined up beside mass graves, awaiting burial before the bodies decompose in the heat.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of grave
Noun
  • The snow eventually hardens like a concrete entombment.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
  • City and county governments set local rules covering burials, inurnments, entombments and the upkeep of cemeteries, mausoleums and columbariums, according to state law.
    — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Definition of entombment
Noun
  • Occupying the sacred space between Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, the Great Triumphal Arch will stand 250 feet tall, two and half times taller than Lincoln’s memorial and big enough to obscure views of the cemetery.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Ewa Mroczkowska’s production design also turns dewy embankments, decadent interiors, and sunrises over cemeteries into visions of storybook-like decay.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of cemetery
Noun
  • One such detail is the prospect of a Gallagher-brothers-style burying of the hatchet for Harry and Prince William.
    — Jamie Timson, TheWeek, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Eaton wildfire survivors’ anger about Southern California Edison’s burying of electric wires in Altadena boiled over Tuesday with residents calling on government officials to temporarily halt the work.
    — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Definition of burying

Browse Nearby Words

burgs
burial
burials
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Cite this Entry

“Burial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burial. Accessed 8 Sep. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on burial

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about burial

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