What does "bury" mean?
A burrow.
Bury
/ˈbɛ.ɹi/ name, noun, verb, slang
name, noun, verb, slang ·Common ·Middle school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A burrow.
- Grammar: bury is listed as name, noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: entomb, immerse, inhume, inter.
- Useful contrasts: bare earth wire, tangible feature, backhoe.
- Usage evidence: At long last, the two chiefs of the Indian tribes have decided to bury the hatchet and smoke the peace pipe.
How to use "bury"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "bury" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "bury" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "bury" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "bury" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "bury" is acting as name, noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "entomb" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "bury", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A burrow. obsolete, transitive
"Orion hit a rabbit once; but though sore wounded it got to the bury, and, struggling in, the arrow caught the side of the hole and was drawn out."
- 2 A borough; a manor transitive
"Indisputable, though very dim to modern vision, rests on its hill-slope that same Bury, Stow, or Town of St. Edmund; already a considerable place, not without traffic"
Verb
- 1 To ritualistically inter in a grave or tomb.; To kill or murder. figuratively, slang, transitive
- 2 dismiss from the mind; stop remembering wordnet
- 3 To ritualistically inter in a grave or tomb.; To outlive. figuratively, humorous, transitive
"Grandpa’s still in excellent health. He’ll bury us all!"
- 4 place in the earth and cover with soil wordnet
- 5 To place in the ground. transitive
"bury a bone; bury the embers"
Show 11 more definitions
- 6 embed deeply wordnet
- 7 To hide or conceal as if by covering with earth or another substance. figuratively, often, transitive
"She buried her face in the pillow, and I buried mine in my hands."
- 8 enclose or envelop completely, as if by swallowing wordnet
- 9 To hide or conceal as if by covering with earth or another substance.; To render imperceptible by other, more prominent stimuli; to drown out. figuratively, often, transitive
"vocals buried in the mix"
- 10 cover from sight wordnet
- 11 To hide or conceal as if by covering with earth or another substance.; To overwhelm. broadly, figuratively, often, transitive
"They buried us in paperwork."
- 12 place in a grave or tomb wordnet
- 13 To suppress and hide away in one's mind. figuratively, transitive
"secrets kept buried"
- 14 To put an end to; to abandon. figuratively, transitive
"They buried their argument and shook hands."
- 15 To score (a goal). transitive
"You could feel the relief after Bendtner collected Wilshere's raking pass before cutting inside Carlos Edwards and burying his shot beyond Fulop."
- 16 To ruin the image or character of another wrestler; usually by embarrassing or defeating them in dominating fashion. slang, transitive
Proper Noun
- 1 A place in England:; A village and civil parish in Huntingdonshire district, Cambridgeshire (OS grid ref TL2883). countable, uncountable
- 2 A place in England:; A town and metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester. countable, uncountable
- 3 A place in England:; A hamlet in Brompton Regis parish, Somerset West and Taunton district, Somerset (OS grid ref SS9427). countable, uncountable
- 4 A place in England:; A village and civil parish in Chichester district, West Sussex (OS grid ref TQ0113). countable, uncountable
- 5 A place in England:; Ellipsis of Bury St Edmunds. abbreviation, alt-of, countable, ellipsis, uncountable
Show 4 more definitions
- 6 A village in Péruwelz municipality, Hainaut province, Belgium. countable, uncountable
- 7 A commune in Oise department, Hauts-de-France, France. countable, uncountable
- 8 A municipality in Le Haut-Saint-François Regional County Municipality, Estrie region, Quebec, Canada. countable, uncountable
- 9 A habitational surname from Old English. countable, uncountable
Example
"At long last, the two chiefs of the Indian tribes have decided to bury the hatchet and smoke the peace pipe."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "bury"?
Common synonyms include: entomb, immerse, inhume, inter, abandon, baptize.
How do you use "bury" in a sentence?
At long last, the two chiefs of the Indian tribes have decided to bury the hatchet and smoke the peace pipe.
How do you pronounce "bury"?
Pronounced /ˈbɛ.ɹi/.
Etymology
Etymology 1
Middle English burien, berien, from Old English byrġan, from Proto-West Germanic *burgijan, from Proto-Germanic *burgijaną (“to keep safe”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *bʰergʰ- (“to defend, protect”). Cognate with Icelandic byrgja (“to cover, shut; to hold in”); West Frisian bergje (“to keep”), German bergen (“to save/rescue something”), Danish bjerge (“to save/rescue something or somebody”); also Eastern Lithuanian bir̃ginti (“to save, spare”), Russian бере́чь (beréčʹ, “to spare”), Ossetian ӕмбӕрзын (æmbærzyn, “to cover”). The spelling with ⟨u⟩ represents the pronunciation of the West Midland and Southern dialects, while the Modern English pronunciation with /ɛ/ is from the Kentish dialects.
Etymology 2
See borough.
Etymology 3
The place name means "fort," from Old English burg. Doublet of borough, Brough, and burgh.