bury

verb

ˈber-ē How to pronounce bury (audio)
Definition of burynext
1
as in to inter
to place (a dead body) in the earth, a tomb, or the sea he died on Tuesday and was buried on Friday

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to conceal
to put into a hiding place buried his face in his hands as his wife recounted the embarrassing incident

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in to overcome
to defeat by a large margin if we don't work harder, the other softball team will bury us

Synonyms & Similar Words

Synonym Chooser

How is the word bury distinct from other similar verbs?

Some common synonyms of bury are conceal, hide, screen, and secrete. While all these words mean "to withhold or withdraw from sight," bury implies covering up so as to hide completely.

buried the treasure

When would conceal be a good substitute for bury?

The meanings of conceal and bury largely overlap; however, conceal usually does imply intent and often specifically implies a refusal to divulge.

concealed the weapon

Where would hide be a reasonable alternative to bury?

The synonyms hide and bury are sometimes interchangeable, but hide may or may not suggest intent.

hide in the closet
a house hidden in the woods

When might screen be a better fit than bury?

While the synonyms screen and bury are close in meaning, screen implies an interposing of something that prevents discovery.

a house screened by trees

When is it sensible to use secrete instead of bury?

The words secrete and bury can be used in similar contexts, but secrete suggests a depositing in a place unknown to others.

secreted the amulet inside his shirt

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 bury The local Red Cross was helping with the search, but couldn’t say how many people remained buried, volunteer Gervais Ganagoro said. — Jean Fernand Koena, Los Angeles Times, 20 Aug. 2026 Pezzulo was attempting to lift debris off his comrades when the North Tower collapsed 30 minutes later and he was buried by falling debris. — ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026 The family then traveled to Althorp House, where Princess Diana spent much of her childhood and is buried, and where Harry’s uncle Charles Spencer and his wife, Cat Jarman, now live. — Simon Perry, PEOPLE, 20 Aug. 2026 The issue touches everything from the Chevrolet Equinox to GMC Acadia to Buick Enclave, and a new service bulletin details how techs should diagnose the issue and when to replace that pesky sensor, which is buried deep in the gearbox. — Adam Ismail, The Drive, 20 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for bury
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bury
  1. inter
  2. conceal
  3. overcome
  4. hide
  5. throw
  6. lay
  7. smother
  8. tomb
Verb
  • By comparison, according to the study, the burial robes of King Sigismund III Vasa and Queen Constance of Habsburg, interred around the same time in Kraków in southern Poland, contain not a single pure gold thread.
    — Katie Hunt, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
  • Burr Oak was the area’s first cemetery to allow blacks to be interred there, and countless African American families would bury relatives there over the years.
    — Tess Kenny, Chicago Tribune, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of inter
Verb
  • The Shenzhen Intermediate People's Court convicted Hui, also known as Xu Jiayin, and Evergrande of engaged in large-scale financial fraud in inflating the group’s assets and concealing its liabilities.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • That concealed the actual removal of the lettering for POTUS.
    — Ted Johnson, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of conceal
Verb
  • And then, with the game in the balance, Taylor’s two 3-pointers over the Valkyries — against man-to-man defense — was too much to overcome.
    — Joseph Dycus, Mercury News, 22 Aug. 2026
  • This method could potentially be adapted for industrial manufacturing, but there were still limitations to overcome, with the biggest one being the quality of the material.
    — Maryna Holovnova, New Atlas, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of overcome
Verb
  • Russia has broadly defied economic expectations through four-and-a-half years of full-scale war with Ukraine, although analysts have suggested that cracks in Putin’s wartime economy are becoming harder to hide.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Vicki could barely hide her disgust that Luann’s antics get more respect than her insurance business.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of hide
Verb
  • In true Richards’ fashion, of course, Kyle transfers her distress into throwing yet another one of her overwrought white parties, whose guest list is filled with a caravan of beloved names in the Bravo-verse.
    — Shamira Ibrahim, Vulture, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Herkov experienced Florida’s first national championship with Wuerffel throwing touchdowns and Spurrier dialing up plays.
    — Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of throw
Verb
  • Swanson received the long ball, dribbled toward the middle of the box before laying it off to Joseph for the opening goal in the 34th minute.
    — Phuoc Nguyen, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
  • In 2018, shortly before her passing, Mason laid the groundwork for what would become the Emily Mason | Alice Trumbull Mason Foundation.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of lay
Verb
  • To smother the grass, begin by scalping the patch down to the dirt.
    — SJ McShane, Martha Stewart, 23 Aug. 2026
  • The scrutiny at the club is like no other, the media attention can be smothering and the level expected from fans is so high.
    — Ben Church, CNN Money, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of smother
Verb
  • The bed resists public-facing things, hence its charge as a womb to tomb motif.
    — Literary Hub, 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
Definition of tomb

Browse Nearby Words

bursts (in or into)
bury
burying
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bury.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bury. Accessed 27 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on bury

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about bury

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