Definition of biernext
as in coffin
a boxlike container for holding a dead body lifted the bier from its stand and placed it in the hearse for its final journey

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 bier The coffin was unveiled late on Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters, who were swaying and beating their heads in time to a sung lament as flowers were thrown from the bier into the crowd. — Reuters, USA Today, 4 July 2026 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the bier of Kim Yong Nam on Tuesday to express condolences, and the funeral is scheduled for Thursday. — Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025 While lying in state, the coffin was placed not on an elevated bier, but facing the pews. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025 Last year, Francis approved new funeral rites stating his body should be on view in a simple coffin rather than being placed on an elevated bier, per the Associated Press. — Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025 In the past, the pope's body would be displayed on an elevated frame known as a bier. — Alec Schemmel, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025 The German microbrewery/restaurant has installed new TVs in its bier hall and at the bar for your viewing pleasure. — Sam Allard, Axios, 7 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bier
Noun
  • Rain fell as families wept beside the coffins, and officers held portraits of their fallen colleagues.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 Nov. 2026
  • The monumental burial mound included a log cabin-like structure, one coffin, and the remains of multiple individuals and horse sacrifices.
    — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 6 Nov. 2026
Noun
  • Behind them is a black casket with the body of the eponymous Helena.
    — Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2026
  • Mortuary Manor visitors can also watch a horror movie projected onto the wall of the main sitting room while surrounded by caskets.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 27 Oct. 2026
Noun
  • The drug was likely used in a burial ritual at a tomb discovered in what is now Siberia.
    — Mary Randolph, Scientific American, 5 Nov. 2026
  • The team from Germany, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland said analysis of hair in the royal tomb where cannabis seeds turned up sheds new light on the plant's role in ancient societies.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bier. Accessed 9 Nov. 2026.

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