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as in to conceal
to put into a hiding place buried his face in his hands as his wife recounted the embarrassing incident

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How is the word bury distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of bury are conceal, hide, screen, and secrete. While all these words mean "to withhold or withdraw from sight," bury implies covering up so as to hide completely.

buried the treasure

When would conceal be a good substitute for bury?

The meanings of conceal and bury largely overlap; however, conceal usually does imply intent and often specifically implies a refusal to divulge.

concealed the weapon

Where would hide be a reasonable alternative to bury?

The synonyms hide and bury are sometimes interchangeable, but hide may or may not suggest intent.

hide in the closet
a house hidden in the woods

When might screen be a better fit than bury?

While the synonyms screen and bury are close in meaning, screen implies an interposing of something that prevents discovery.

a house screened by trees

When is it sensible to use secrete instead of bury?

The words secrete and bury can be used in similar contexts, but secrete suggests a depositing in a place unknown to others.

secreted the amulet inside his shirt

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 bury Wolff sued then, arguing that her claims were the latest of several attempts by the Trumps to bury reporting about their history with the disgraced financier. Graph Massara, semafor.com, 6 Nov. 2025 The boy buried his face in his hands, and the thick nest of hair shook as if in a wind, and the sobs, though muffled, grew louder. George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025 Two weeks later, investigators discovered their bodies inside a chest freezer buried in a rural cow pasture in Texas County. Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2025 Real search phrasing tied to specific stories can help reveal which terms invite clicks and which ones bury solid pieces under vague language. Malana Vantyler, Ascend Agency, 6 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bury
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bury
Verb
  • The Odd Fellows Cemetery, where Sammy is interred, is the last such cemetery in Sacramento.
    Daniel Lempres, Sacbee.com, 23 Oct. 2025
  • She was later interred at Fairview Cemetery.
    Joshua Rhett Miller, MSNBC Newsweek, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • Christina Leona Cowens, 41, was initially arrested last week on suspicion of felony grand theft, along with misdemeanor counts of unlawful disposal of human remains and attempting to conceal a death.
    Rosalio Ahumada, Sacbee.com, 11 Nov. 2025
  • People get in the bathtub, think something, bathe themselves and then stand up from the bathwater, all of this is rather ordinary, but even the most ordinary thing in this world can conceal considerable danger.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Among those highlighted will be Amanda, a refugee and the first Miss Trans Global Uganda; Sarah, who overcame sight loss to support LGBTQ+ people with disabilities while running marathons; and Leo, a speaker and life coach with dyskinetic cerebral palsy.
    Sophie Williams, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Fortunately, modern nandina cultivars like 'Lemon-Lime' from the Southern Living Plant Collection have been bred to overcome these problems.
    Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 6 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • This mismatch between perception and reality has real consequences, fueling the notion that higher education as a whole is elitist and out of touch, hiding the work of the colleges that educate millions of working- and middle-class families.
    Yolanda Watson Spiva, Fortune, 8 Nov. 2025
  • Then keep scrolling to shop more of the best pieces hiding in Pottery Barn’s outlet now.
    Maggie Horton, PEOPLE, 8 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • His rule finally came to an end in 1998 after the Asian financial crisis threw the country into economic turmoil, prompting widespread protests and forcing Suharto to resign – one of the last people power movements to sweep Southeast Asia and replace a Cold War-era autocrat with democracy.
    Jessie Yeung, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Then Heat forward Nikola Jovic threw the perfect inbounds pass to find Wiggins for the game-winning alley-oop dunk at the final buzzer.
    Anthony Chiang, Miami Herald, 11 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Thailand accused Cambodia of laying fresh landmines following the removal of a barbed wire fence, which was discovered on November 9.
    Helen Regan, CNN Money, 11 Nov. 2025
  • Thank you @cyndilauper for laying the groundwork for artists like me to thrive.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 10 Nov. 2025
Verb
  • Burn a candle, for example, and the flame will quickly smother itself as smoke crowds around the wick with no oxygen to feed it.
    New Atlas, New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2025
  • Smothered Turf The wet leaves smother the grass by blocking sunlight, reducing photosynthesis, and slowing oxygen flow to the soil.
    Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 30 Oct. 2025
Verb
  • In order to become proper Chinese third graders—to go all the way from Heaven to tomb—Natasha and Ariel needed to memorize a total of sixteen hundred characters.
    Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023

Cite this Entry

“Bury.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bury. Accessed 11 Nov. 2025.

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