burial

noun

ˈber-ē-əl How to pronounce burial (audio)
Definition of burialnext
1
as in funeral
the act or ceremony of putting a dead body in its final resting place the children wanted to give the dead bird a proper burial in the backyard

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in tomb
a final resting place for a dead person archaeologically significant artifacts, such as stone tools, have been discovered in Neanderthal burials

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 burial Campbell cautioned that this doesn’t mean that the hundreds of other burials in these areas were also victims of human sacrifice. — Jack Guy, CNN Money, 7 Oct. 2026 This particular set of remains—46 crania stored at Cambridge University—came from the Umm el-Qaab cemetery, which contains subsidiary burials presumed to be retainers of deceased First Dynasty rulers. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026 Law enforcement unearthed the body of a Colorado woman from a burial site near an under-construction garage in northern Texas last week, police said. — Lauren Penington, Denver Post, 5 Oct. 2026 Rue, who co-owns Littleton & Rue Funeral Home and Crematory, oversaw the burial. — Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for burial
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burial
  1. funeral
  2. tomb
  3. interment
  4. grave
  5. entombment
  6. cemetery
  7. burying
Noun
  • The two couples collide at the funeral in the beginning of the film.
    — E. Tammy Kim, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • At that time, the Catholic Church banned funeral rites and burial on consecrated grounds for those who died by suicide.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of funeral
Noun
  • Architect Todd Ernst, who helped uncover the mural, compared the experience to discovering an Egyptian tomb.
    — Daniel Cassady, ARTnews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
  • But there is very little archaeological evidence available, given that many of the earliest Egyptian tombs were plundered and/or hastily excavated.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of tomb
Noun
  • Parker separately ordered city flags to remain at half-staff until sunset on the day of Seiber's interment.
    — James Cirrone , Brittany Miller, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
  • The horse’s intact body and the pieces of a decorative harness found with it suggest a deliberate and perhaps honorific interment.
    — Anne Doran, ARTnews.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of interment
Noun
  • The second group then needs to run to the graveyard and match the head with the scream issuing from the grave.
    — Alice Burton, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2026
  • In a decision partly influenced by his mother (Elisabeth Shue) and two sisters (Jane Levy and Emily Rudd) having to visit an empty grave, Jay sets out to find his father’s remains on the ocean floor near Monastery Beach.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of grave
Noun
  • The snow eventually hardens like a concrete entombment.
    — Ray Sanchez, CNN Money, 21 Feb. 2026
  • City and county governments set local rules covering burials, inurnments, entombments and the upkeep of cemeteries, mausoleums and columbariums, according to state law.
    — Angela Rodriguez, Sacbee.com, 31 Oct. 2025
Definition of entombment
Noun
  • Hundreds of mourners later gathered at Rehman Baba cemetery for mass funeral prayers as grief gripped the neighborhood and announcements echoed from mosque loudspeakers, urging residents to join in prayers for those killed.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 16 Oct. 2026
  • To judge from the lines of young, very devoted fans snaking around the cemetery, Geese has already built the requisite subculture to thrive longer-term.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of cemetery
Noun
  • One such detail is the prospect of a Gallagher-brothers-style burying of the hatchet for Harry and Prince William.
    — Jamie Timson, TheWeek, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Eaton wildfire survivors’ anger about Southern California Edison’s burying of electric wires in Altadena boiled over Tuesday with residents calling on government officials to temporarily halt the work.
    — Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Definition of burying

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burgs
burial
burials
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Cite this Entry

“Burial.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burial. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on burial

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about burial

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