burial

noun

buri·​al ˈber-ē-əl 

ˈbe-rē-

also ˈbər-ē-

often attributive

1

: grave, tomb

2

: the act or process of burying

Synonyms of burial

• funeral
• interment
• entombment
• burying

Examples of burial in a Sentence

They prepared the body for burial.

She wanted to give him a proper burial.

Did you attend the burial?

The law prohibits the burial of toxic substances without special permits.

Recent Examples on the Web

Such artifacts were increasingly more dispersed in later burial stages. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 18 Aug. 2026

The family’s time at the estate is thought to have included a visit to Diana’s burial site. — Meredith Kile, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026

Many residents’ anger is caused by misinformation about the virus and bans on traditional burials — when families prepare the bodies and people gather for a funeral, which can lead to further infections. — ABC News, 15 Aug. 2026

Just last year, the Scott County Sheriff’s Office began investigating a tip about a possible burial site linked to Cheryl’s disappearance. — Dateline Nbc, NBC news, 13 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Middle English beriel, berial, back-formation from beriels (taken as a plural), from Old English byrgels; akin to Old Saxon burgisli tomb, Old English byrgan to bury — more at bury

First Known Use

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing burial

• burial ground
• burial plot

Rhymes for burial

• actuarial
• adversarial
• secretarial
• urticarial
• aerial
• areal
• ariel
• antimalarial
• biserial
• filarial
• malarial
• subaerial

Kids Definition

burial

noun

buri·​al ˈber-ē-əl 

: the act of burying