GRAVES Synonyms: 78 Similar and Opposite Words

graves 1 of 2

noun

Definition of graves

plural of grave

as in tombs

a final resting place for a dead person the forlorn boy put flowers on his mother's grave

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

as in deaths

the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities a rock star who found his early grave in a plane crash

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

graves

2 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of grave

as in etches

to cut (as letters or designs) on a hard surface the doomed climber graved his initials into the rock face

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 graves

Noun

The narrative begins with a prologue in which a man mows grass in a cemetery dotted with twenty-four unmarked graves. — Keziah Weir, Vanity Fair, 13 Aug. 2026 Family members have alleged that fence posts were driven into graves and said the fence has restricted access to the cemetery. — Daniel Wilkerson, CBS News, 13 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, 27 July 2026 Together, the three graves belonged to pets named Hollie, Dollie and Carlie. — Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 24 July 2026 Ask for a map at the gate to find the graves and pay your respects. — Joseph Hudak, Rolling Stone, 22 July 2026 Baldwin is an amateur genealogist who has spent the last five years researching the identities of the roughly 2,200 people who are buried at Blake Street Cemetery, the vast majority of them in graves marked only with numbers. — John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 20 July 2026 To Hashesh, the findings defy what has historically been another single interpretation about weapons in female graves. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 17 July 2026 The details of the bodies are documented and the graves numbered so that family members can return and reclaim them. — Bilal Shbeir, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2026

Verb

In one cemetery, families of deceased cartel operatives erected graves the size of suburban homes. — Kevin Sieff, The Atlantic, 13 Aug. 2026 Aprendi no que consiste o verdadeiro alimento há muitos anos, quando tive problemas estomacais tão graves que só conseguia reter os alimentos mais básicos. — Blithe Holcomb Hogan, Christian Science Monitor, 8 July 2026 Las acciones de Google son especialmente insensibles y graves ante el cierre administrativo temporal del gobierno (shutdown), ignorando las peticiones de funcionarios gubernamentales y organizaciones hispanas que les solicitaron mantener la programación de Univision en el paquete principal. — Todd Spangler, Variety, 1 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for graves

Noun

Archaeologists have uncovered tombs, theaters, baths, stadiums, and other remnants of the city, which was inhabited for more than 1,000 years.

— Brittany Anas, Forbes.com, 13 Aug. 2026
Visitors can view artifacts that museum officials say offer a rare look at discoveries from ancient Egypt, including objects unearthed by archaeologists and items made of gold from tombs.

— ABC News, ABC News, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of tombs

Noun

Western nations have imposed economic and political sanctions in response to the military takeover and violent repression of opposition, which has led to the deaths of thousands of civilians and given rise to a civil war.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
The latest government data shows that the total number of deaths has surpassed the 2,299 deaths recorded in the 2018-2020 outbreak, which was previously the country’s worst on record.

— CNN Money, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of deaths

Verb

In the 1990s, in parallel with the work on optimal channel networks, geomorphologists developed powerful landscape evolution models to capture this constant adjustment and show the mechanism by which Hack’s law etches itself on the landscape.

— Natalie Wolchover, Quanta Magazine, 10 Aug. 2026
While the confetti settles at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Spain etches its name further into soccer’s history books with its second men’s World Cup title, the women’s side of the game is awakening.

— Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 20 July 2026

Definition of etches

Verb

Malcolm Arnold’s 2,000-square-foot business, Apple Core Electronics, on Flushing Avenue in Bushwick makes exterior intercom panels, sets their wiring, punches buttons and engraves addresses.

— New York Times, New York Times, 30 Apr. 2026
The company also engraves the names of the two teams, the final score, the location of the game and its date on the trophy base.

— Paul Edward Parker, The Providence Journal, 6 Feb. 2026

Definition of engraves

Verb

The path the moon inscribes around the Earth is elliptical rather than circular.

— Jeffrey Kluger, Time, 10 Aug. 2026
The current inscribes some victims’ skin with mysterious scarlike patterns called Lichtenberg figures, which resemble the limbs of a barren tree—or the branching structure of lightning itself.

— Jacob Stern, The Atlantic, 16 Mar. 2026

Definition of inscribes

Noun

What stood out most, however, was just how emotional the event was, particularly considering the many recent passings of some of our most beloved film and TV luminaries.

— Marcus Jones, IndieWire, 2 Mar. 2026
When annual results are compiled each January, winners tend to be amateur grim reapers who predicted a mix of shocking young deaths and the passings of anyone over 90.

— Christopher Borrelli, Chicago Tribune, 21 Jan. 2026

Definition of passings

Browse Nearby Words

graveness

graves

gravestone

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Style

“Graves.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/graves. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of graves

noun

verb

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