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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These later burials are called row-grave cemeteries because the graves were perfectly parallel to one another.—
Emma Gometz,
Scientific American,
29 Apr. 2026
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On Monday, Nickman and another local were clearing debris and mowing the city’s only cemetery, Eternal Oaks.—
Rachel Royster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
27 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Left in the thorny bushes of the graveyard is a clue.—
Todd Martens,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
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Suddenly, the 107 points and the 113 goals garnered over the first 45 league games of a quite remarkable season were going to count for nothing, save for a tilt at the same play-offs that had proved to be the graveyard of their promotion hopes in the semi-finals a year ago.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Potter's field.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potter%27s%20field. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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