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 Unlike in mainland China, Hong Kong runs on a common-law system, which means a jury will decide whether the trio should be found guilty ofChoi’s murder and of preventing the lawful burial of her body. — Chris Lau, CNN Money, 21 Sep. 2026 They were also charged with preventing the lawful burial of a body. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026 Both his funeral service in Arlington and his burial service at the Al-Rawdah Cemetery in Joshua were packed with people. — Harriet Ramos, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 20 Sep. 2026 Colorful flowers adorn select burial plaques, and sometimes a miniature casket sits open in the cemetery for people to pay their respects to the departed. — Elliott Harrell, Southern Living, 19 Sep. 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
  • Back in the present, the Halogram (last updated in 2006) susses out that John is lying about the grandeur of Hal’s funeral when the former protégé mentions sitting next to MOGO, the Lantern who famously doesn’t socialize.
    — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 28 Sep. 2026
  • That is because in many cases, probate judges determined there was nothing left in the estates after funeral costs and other debts were paid.
    — Ginny Monk, Hartford Courant, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of funeral
Noun
  • Nearby was the city’s Jewish graveyard, where the tombs are laid out around a steep flight of steps.
    — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
  • The Valley of the Kings and the tombs of Tutankhamun and Seti I.
    — Guy Bigiaoui, Miami Herald, 28 Sep. 2026
Definition of tomb
Noun
  • The horse’s intact body and the pieces of a decorative harness found with it suggest a deliberate and perhaps honorific interment.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
  • In their home state, dates of observation extend through the day of interment.
    — Sarah Linn, Sacbee.com, 15 July 2026
Definition of interment
Noun
  • Officers found a shallow grave and used shovels to find a human foot, leg and knee.
    — Summer Lin, Los Angeles Times, 25 Sep. 2026
  • One example in the book, nearly perfectly timed for America’s semiquincentennial, occurs at the Norwich grave of Hannah Arnold.
    — Helen I. Bennett, Hartford Courant, 20 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
  • The parties’ local branches instead proposed that future Holocaust commemorations should be kept at the town’s memorial site at its northern cemetery, German media report.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 26 Sep. 2026
  • The teaser cuts to a cemetery and a coffin on which somebody lays a black rose.
    — Kory Grow, Rolling Stone, 24 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 3 Oct. 2026.

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Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about burial

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