bier
Americannoun
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a frame or stand on which a corpse or the coffin containing it is laid before burial.
-
such a stand together with the corpse or coffin.
noun
Etymology
Origin of bier
before 900; Middle English bere, Old English bēr, bǣr ( e ); cognate with Old High German bāra ( German Bahre ), Dutch, Danish baar, Swedish bår; spelling influenced by French bière; akin to bear 1, barrow 1
Explanation
A bier is a structure used to hold a coffin during a funeral. When a popular public figure dies, crowds of mourners may line up in order to walk past the bier and pay their respects. You might confuse this word with beer, its homonym — but you can't drink a bier. The word comes from the Old English bær, "handbarrow or litter," and its root meaning, "to carry." Some biers are stationary frames, while others can be lifted and carried by pallbearers as they transport a coffin. It's a sad occasion that requires a bier.
Vocabulary lists containing bier
Romeo and Juliet
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The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark
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"The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet," Vocabulary from Act 3
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
In an exchange with Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy, Bier clarified what such an effort would actually mean.
From Slate • Mar. 12, 2026
"With pPro-MobV we have brought gene-drive thinking from insects to bacteria as a population engineering tool," said Bier, a faculty member in the Department of Cell and Developmental Biology.
From Science Daily • Feb. 18, 2026
But Nikita Bier, the head of product at X, offered Altman some simple advice for the future.
From BBC • Feb. 5, 2026
Observers are limited by law only from physically interfering with operations, and have protections for sharing information about a law-enforcement operation and recording activity, said David Bier, director of immigration studies at the Cato Institute.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 27, 2026
Es giebt nichts wie die Madchen, Es gibt nichts wie das Bier, Wer liebt nicht alle beide, Wird gar kein Cavalier.
From The Breitmann Ballads by Leland, Charles Godfrey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
