burials

plural of burial
1
as in funerals
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

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
as in tombs
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 burials Angry crowds have torched Ebola treatment centers, stormed hospitals to retrieve relatives’ bodies and attacked teams carrying out safe burials. ABC News, 7 Aug. 2026 This was soon followed by the excavation of two more burials of Princess Ita and Princess Khenmet, and then Princess Itaweret and Princess Sathathormeryt. ArsTechnica, 3 Aug. 2026 In the padres’ careful records, burials far outstripped baptisms. Literary Hub, 29 July 2026 There are environmental concerns that traditional burials monopolize too much land and employ toxins that can leach into the soil and groundwater. John Semley, Harpers Magazine, 28 July 2026 Community resistance to Ebola teams, particularly those carrying out safe burials, has also hampered the response. Prosper Heri Ngorora, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 After Blake Street Cemetery stopped accepting new burials in 1931, New Haven began relying on another paupers’ cemetery located on Woodin Street. John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2026 Pictures shared with Fox News Digital show the remains of the ancient church, including intricate polychrome mosaic floors and human burials alongside its foundation walls. Andrea Margolis, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026 An elite class held the reins of Scythian power, their elevated status celebrated in death through rich burials. Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 6 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for burials
Noun
  • Since then, the 65-year-old has only made public appearances at family events, including his parents' funerals and, most recently, the funeral of Britain's Duchess of Kent, Katharine, in September.
    Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 30 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Linn said there's anything from dogs associated with deities like Hecate, to dogs found in Mycenaean tombs.
    Maddie Rhodes, USA Today, 24 July 2026
  • The Digest Three ancient Egyptian tombs with rare inscriptions have been uncovered at Saqqara, offering new clues about New Kingdom ties to the Near East.
    George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 23 July 2026
Noun
  • Construction on the pipeline could mean members of the community must make the decision between digging up their ancestors to preserve their graves or having the graves destroyed in the construction.
    Madeline Luebkert, CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026
  • My grandparents are buried side by side in a small village in northwestern Haiti, where their graves absorb the salty wind from the Atlantic Ocean.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
Noun
  • Brazee alleged the suspects have also hit cemeteries in Oklahoma, Minnesota, Texas, Georgia, Iowa, North Carolina and New York.
    ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026
  • Both my wife and I always considered artificial flowers tacky and not appropriate for cemeteries, even though lots of people decorate gravesites with them.
    Jeanne Phillips, Mercury News, 10 Aug. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Burials.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/burials. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on burials

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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