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.
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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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As a Community Services District, the water district could potentially assist the cemetery district with some of its needs, Wolski said.—
Regina Elling,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 Feb. 2026
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Iranian cemeteries, holy shrines and mosques -- which normally are venues for the 40th-day ceremonies -- have turned into scenes of the most extraordinary ways of mourning in the country, as victims’ families have been dancing to mourn as a sign of defiance.—
Somayeh Malekian,
ABC News,
23 Feb. 2026
Noun
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For example, Mermentau Cove previously used Mardi Gras funds to construct a pavilion for their graveyard and add flags to veterans' graves.—
Carlie Procell,
USA Today,
18 Feb. 2026
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That number suggests the ancient permafrost is less like a graveyard and more like an untouched biological frontier — teeming with life forms that have been hidden from science for tens of thousands of years.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
13 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Potter's field.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potter%27s%20field. Accessed 2 Mar. 2026.
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