tomb 1 of 2

noun

ˈtüm How to pronounce tomb (audio)
Definition of tombnext
as in burial
a final resting place for a dead person explored the historic graveyard and saw tombs that dated back two centuries

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

tomb

2 of 2

verb

as in to bury
to place (a dead body) in the earth, a tomb, or the sea Forest Lawn is where many of Tinseltown's immortals are tombed for all eternity

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 tomb
Noun
All three will face a slew of charges, including injuring or removing a tomb or monument, disturbing the contents of a grave or tomb and grand theft, the Orange County Sheriff’s Office announced Wednesday. — Rylan Digiacomo-Rapp, The Orlando Sentinel, 20 Aug. 2026 In July 2025, utility workers excavating trenches to expand an underground gas network in Peru's capital unearthed two pre-Incan tombs that were over 1,000 years old. — CBS News, 19 Aug. 2026
Verb
The bed resists public-facing things, hence its charge as a womb to tomb motif. — Literary Hub, 21 Apr. 2026 Highlights include the Pyramid of Djoser or Step Pyramid—the world’s oldest pyramid—and the Mastaba of Ti tomb. — Nada El Sawy, Condé Nast Traveler, 21 Nov. 2023 See All Example Sentences for tomb
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tomb
  1. burial
  2. bury
  3. grave
  4. inter
  5. cemetery
  6. sepulchre
Noun
  • The suit is seeking yet-unspecified damages to help cover burial and funeral costs.
    — Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 9 Sep. 2026
  • Since May, health workers and burial teams such as Adolphe's have been attacked by bereaved families across the front line of the outbreak.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 7 Sep. 2026
Definition of burial
Verb
  • In many cases, bodies have been washed far downstream and rendered unrecognizable, while others still missing are feared to have been buried in the torrent of thick mud.
    — Andrew Jones, NBC news, 3 Sep. 2026
  • Huntsinger never expected to be dealing with a major mudslide that buried one of the festival’s main venues, The Palm, in three feet of mud.
    — Anne Thompson, IndieWire, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of bury
Noun
  • Reagan, no less than Lewis, probably is turning cartwheels in his grave.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2026
  • But the situation is far more tragic, with videos on social media showing dozens of coffins lined up beside mass graves, awaiting burial before the bodies decompose in the heat.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of grave
Verb
  • Nisa Torer, 14, and 56-year-old Nihat Balyemez were interred in the southern city of Gaziantep, while Huseyin Ozdemir was buried in Silifke, Mersin province.
    — Andrew Wilks, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
  • According to People, Dean was interred in a mausoleum at the cemetery.
    — Tom Tapp, Deadline, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of inter
Noun
  • Occupying the sacred space between Lincoln Memorial and Arlington National Cemetery, the Great Triumphal Arch will stand 250 feet tall, two and half times taller than Lincoln’s memorial and big enough to obscure views of the cemetery.
    — Lorraine Ali, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2026
  • Ewa Mroczkowska’s production design also turns dewy embankments, decadent interiors, and sunrises over cemeteries into visions of storybook-like decay.
    — Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of cemetery
Noun
  • The Enclave, Buick’s large, three-row crossover, has been redesigned for 2018, allowing the automaker to finally place its predecessor in a sepulchre and seal the entrance.
    — Al Haas, Philly.com, 28 June 2018
  • The Garden Tomb, is believed by many to be the garden and sepulchre of Joseph of Arimathea, and therefore a possible site of the resurrection of Jesus.
    — Joe Yudin, Town & Country, 5 Oct. 2016
Definition of sepulchre

Browse Nearby Words

tolls
tomb
tombed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Tomb.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tomb. Accessed 11 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on tomb

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about tomb

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of patina

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

Ye Olde Nincompoop: Old-Fashioned Words for 'Stupid'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
anagrams on a chalk board
Word Builder Quiz Vol. 2 Pick the letter that when added to a word will ma...
See All