as in cemetery
a piece of land used for burying the dead
criminals and unidentified people are sometimes buried in a potter's field
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Recent Examples of potter's field
According to a 1951 Milwaukee Journal article, the potter's field was the burial site of many victims of the city's 1849-1850 cholera epidemic, which was estimated to have killed as many as 700 of the city's then-20,000 residents.
—
Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024
The island is not only the largest potter's field in the U.S., but it is also believed to be the single largest AIDS burial site, according to the NYC Parks Department.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 1 Dec. 2023
The family lived down the street from the potter's field where the boy was first buried, and placed flowers there on holidays.
—Maryclaire Dale, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2023
Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024
The island is not only the largest potter's field in the U.S., but it is also believed to be the single largest AIDS burial site, according to the NYC Parks Department.
—Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 1 Dec. 2023
The family lived down the street from the potter's field where the boy was first buried, and placed flowers there on holidays.
—Maryclaire Dale, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potter's field
Noun
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The incident marks a violent escalation in a series of break-ins that have occurred at the cemetery, which has faced years of financial hardship.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
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Clandestine graves are discovered on a semiregular basis; more than 70,000 unidentified remains have piled up in morgues and cemeteries.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
14 Apr. 2026
Noun
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An intruder entered the graveyard in an attempt to steal headstones for their bronze and copper plaques, the owner said.—
Ruben Vives,
Los Angeles Times,
15 Apr. 2026
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An unceremonious dumping ground for the sort of horror movies most people can live without, Q1 has long functioned as a graveyard for the genre.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Potter's field.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potter%27s%20field. Accessed 17 Apr. 2026.
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