Tomb

/tum/ name, noun, verb

name, noun, verb ·Moderate ·High school level

Meaning at a glance

  • Primary sense: A small building, or a room within one, for the remains of the dead, with walls, a roof, and (if it is to be used for more than one corpse) a door. It may be partly or wholly in the ground (except for its entrance) in a cemetery, or it may be inside a church proper or in its crypt. Single tombs may be permanently sealed; those for families (or other groups) have doors for access whenever needed.
  • Grammar: tomb is listed as name, noun, verb.
  • Nearest alternatives: grave, above-ground burial, arch, archaeological burial.
  • Useful contrasts: cenotaph, cremation, disinterment.
  • Usage evidence: What is learned in the cradle is carried to the tomb.

How to use "tomb"

  1. Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
  2. Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "tomb" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
  3. 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 "tomb" 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 "tomb" as the right word for your sentence.

If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "tomb" 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 "tomb" is acting as name, noun, verb 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 "grave" 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 "tomb", 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. 1
    A small building, or a room within one, for the remains of the dead, with walls, a roof, and (if it is to be used for more than one corpse) a door. It may be partly or wholly in the ground (except for its entrance) in a cemetery, or it may be inside a church proper or in its crypt. Single tombs may be permanently sealed; those for families (or other groups) have doors for access whenever needed.
  2. 2
    a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone) wordnet
  3. 3
    A pit in which the dead body of a human being is deposited. broadly

    "As one dead in the bottom of a tomb."

  4. 4
    One who keeps secrets.

    "I never told anyone about it. You're the first, except Ivan, of course—Ivan knows everything. He knew about it long before you. But Ivan's a tomb."

  5. 5
    Death (literary)

    "I'll go to the tomb unrepentant."

Verb
  1. 1
    To bury. transitive
Proper Noun
  1. 1
    A surname transferred from the given name.

Synonyms

All synonyms
graveabove-ground burialarcharchaeological burialbarrowbeehive tomb

Antonyms

Example

"What is learned in the cradle is carried to the tomb."

Common questions

What does "tomb" mean?

A small building, or a room within one, for the remains of the dead, with walls, a roof, and (if it is to be used for more than one corpse) a door. It may be partly or wholly in the ground (except for its entrance) in a cemetery, or it may be inside a church proper or in its crypt. Single tombs may be permanently sealed; those for families (or other groups) have doors for access whenever needed.

What is a synonym for "tomb"?

Common synonyms include: grave, above-ground burial, arch, archaeological burial, barrow, beehive tomb.

How do you use "tomb" in a sentence?

What is learned in the cradle is carried to the tomb.

How do you pronounce "tomb"?

Pronounced /tum/.

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Middle English tombe, toumbe, borrowed from Old French tombe, from Latin tumba from Ancient Greek τύμβος (túmbos, “a sepulchral mound, tomb, grave”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *tewh₂- (“to swell”). The verb is from Middle English tomben.

Etymology 2

Perhaps a variant spelling of Tom, with excrescent -b.

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