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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 Paleoanthropologists have once again sparked a debate after suggesting that a long-extinct human relative may have buried its dead more than 120,000 years before modern humans started funerary practices. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2025 Together Skelly and O’Steen buried Grimes, whom police would find covered by blankets, tarps and dirt, the defendant told the jury. Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 12 Sep. 2025 Nostalgia, as Sheeran learns, sometimes reopens wounds and invites emotional gut punches previously buried for self-protection. Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 12 Sep. 2025 But the cemeteries where the deceased soldiers are buried are not to be missed. Jim Clash, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for bury
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bury
Verb
  • For instance, the young woman interred in burial 211 described above is one of several women and children buried with stone axes at the site, upending the notion that axes only belonged to Stone Age men.
    Sarah Durn, Popular Science, 11 Sep. 2025
  • Dignitaries and longtime residents gathered under gray skies at the memorial to Katrina’s victims in a New Orleans cemetery where dozens who perished in the storm but were never identified or claimed are interred.
    Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2025
Verb
  • The student allegedly admitted to taking the gun on Sunday while his uncle was in the shower and then bringing it onto the bus concealed in his pocket, according to the affidavit.
    Meredith Deliso, ABC News, 8 Sep. 2025
  • She is charged with abuse of a corpse, tampering with physical evidence, and concealing the birth of an infant, the Lexington Police Department said in a news release.
    Charlotte Phillipp, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • How Wi-Fi HaLow Can Help Address These Needs To overcome connectivity gaps in large-scale environmental monitoring, some researchers and technologists are turning to Wi-Fi HaLow.
    Michael De Nil, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
  • The movie adaptation is also rife with metaphors about boys becoming men and overcoming life-or-death circumstances to make it out the other side.
    Brian Truitt, USA Today, 11 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • In corroborating much of the testimony Pentagon intelligence official David Grusch offered in July 2023, Elizondo also accused the Department of Defense of hiding its UFO programs from Congress while misappropriating funds to operate them.
    Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Coel, the boundary-pushing revelation from I May Destroy You, is a perfect foil, hiding Lori’s feelings behind her deadpan delivery, unblinking sphinx-like stare and wary body language but poised to shoot barbs when the moment calls for them.
    David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • While much of last season was a lost cause due to Tua Tagovailoa being injured, the Dolphins still aren't throwing the ball downfield.
    Drew VonScio, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Or, take after Aniston by throwing them on with flip-flops and a basic T-shirt.
    Averi Baudler, People.com, 9 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • Overnight, crews will build hose lays along fire breaks and reinforce lines.
    CA WILDFIRE BOT, Sacbee.com, 8 Sep. 2025
  • The kids with the balls spent all that time hunkered down on the stairs, laying low and waiting to be allowed back to their seats.
    The Athletic Tennis Staff, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025
Verb
  • The smotherer has been smothered.
    Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Sep. 2025
  • Moody’s second field goal attempt, from 36 yards, got blocked when Julian Love quickly jumped past Matt Hennessy and smothered Moody’s attempt on its ascent.
    Cam Inman, Mercury News, 9 Sep. 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 13 Sep. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on bury

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