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

• burying
• entombing
• entombment
• inhumation
• interment
• interring
• obsequy
• obsequies
• sepulture

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

An extended hall leads to another long hall, ending with an incomplete chamber containing his burial well. —Rosa Rahimi, CNN Money, 27 May 2025

The first burial: A cookbook author The first person buried at what is now Arlington National Cemetery was not a soldier, a general, a war hero or even a veteran. —Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 27 May 2025

As for the top burial site respondents want to visit for Memorial Day, Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia took the crown, according to Choice Mutual. —Staff Report, Hartford Courant, 22 May 2025

Archaeologists excavated a burial dubbed Tomb 120-2 in Gyeongju in 2020 as part of an ongoing project to find and restore artifacts from the Silla Kingdom, Korea Heritage Service said in a May 21 news release. —Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 22 May 2025

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

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

Kids Definition

burial

noun

buri·​al ˈber-ē-əl 

: the act of burying