as in cemetery
a piece of land used for burying the dead
criminals and unidentified people are sometimes buried in a potter's field
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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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Minab has been transformed into a landscape of collective grief, where the rhythm of daily life now includes frequent visits to the cemetery, where small graves are arranged in neat rows, just steps apart, mimicking the order of a school assembly.—
Zohreh Saberi,
Los Angeles Times,
6 May 2026
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Sources in Collingdale Borough government said the cemetery has been inundated for years.—
Joe Holden,
CBS News,
5 May 2026
Noun
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At one point in the exhibition, there is a replica of Bundy's 1968 yellow Volkswagen Beetle, and a makeshift graveyard featuring his victims' names.—
Lexi Lane,
PEOPLE,
2 May 2026
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Left in the thorny bushes of the graveyard is a clue.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Potter's field.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potter%27s%20field. Accessed 8 May. 2026.
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