urn

noun

Definition of urnnext
as in coffin

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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 urn The exhibition’s first wall presents a large photograph of Nicky holding their mother’s urn to set the scene. — Sarah Moroz, Literary Hub, 7 May 2026 When Patrick’s father died, two years ago, Patrick and his siblings divided his ashes among themselves, and a portion rested in a columbarium; the urn was small. — Anna Wiener, New Yorker, 4 May 2026 The reliquary urn, which authorities say is a significant piece of Italian history and is registered with the Historical Artistic Heritage Items of the Italian Episcopal Conference, was stolen sometime in August 2022 from the church of San Michele Arcangelo di Cangiano. — Flint McColgan, Boston Herald, 30 Apr. 2026 Instead, some families received urns with concrete to replace dead people's ashes, and the Hallfords gave families the wrong body at least twice. — Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2026 See All Example Sentences for urn
Recent Examples of Synonyms for urn
  1. coffin
  2. casket
  3. sarcophagus
  4. bier
  5. tomb
Noun
  • At the ages of 15 and 12, the brothers walked shoulder-to-shoulder behind their mother Princess Diana's coffin in 1997.
    — Jennifer Hassan, USA Today, 6 July 2026
  • Mourners chanted non-stop, with no sign of the ayatollah’s coffin more than an hour after the procession’s official start time.
    — Xiaoqian Lin, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Definition of coffin
Noun
  • Photos and video broadcast on state media showed people reaching out to touch the truck carrying Khamenei’s coffin, while others threw scarves and other items for attendants to brush against the casket, a practice common in the Islamic Republic.
    — Kayla Hayempour, NBC news, 10 July 2026
  • The body was placed in a casket draped in the Islamic Republic’s flag and encased in glass.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 8 July 2026
Definition of casket
Noun
  • This month, the hospital granted rare access to reporters from the Associated Press, allowing them into rooms that lie on either side of the centerpiece of Les Invalides, a soaring mausoleum that holds Napoleon’s sarcophagus.
    — Sylvie Corbet, Los Angeles Times, 14 May 2026
  • This month, the hospital granted rare access to reporters from The Associated Press, allowing them into rooms that lie on either side of the centerpiece of Les Invalides, a soaring mausoleum that holds Napoleon's sarcophagus.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 14 May 2026
Definition of sarcophagus
Noun
  • The coffin was unveiled late on Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters, who were swaying and beating their heads in time to a sung lament as flowers were thrown from the bier into the crowd.
    — Reuters, USA Today, 4 July 2026
  • North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the bier of Kim Yong Nam on Tuesday to express condolences, and the funeral is scheduled for Thursday.
    — Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025
Definition of bier
Noun
  • This brings the total tombs uncovered at the Marina el-Alamein site to 48, said The Guardian.
    — Lea Tran, TheWeek, 10 July 2026
  • Ending his life this way, in a desert tomb of family memories, would be tragically fitting, but John Sugar’s in town to facilitate a redemption arc.
    — Andy Andersen, Vulture, 10 July 2026
Definition of tomb

Browse Nearby Words

urgings
urn
urns
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Cite this Entry

“Urn.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/urn. Accessed 17 Jul. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on urn

Nglish: Translation of urn for Spanish Speakers

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