bury

American  

[ber-ee] / ˈbɛr i /

verb (used with object)

buried, burying

1. to put in the ground and cover with earth.

   The pirates buried the chest on the island.

2. to put (a corpse) in the ground or a vault, or into the sea, often with ceremony.

   They buried the sailor with full military honors.

   Synonyms:

   inhume, entomb, inter

   Antonyms:

   exhume, disinter

3. to plunge in deeply; cause to sink in.

   to bury an arrow in a target.

4. to cover in order to conceal from sight.

   She buried the card in the deck.

   Synonyms:

   secrete, hide

   Antonyms:

   uncover

5. to immerse (oneself).

   He buried himself in his work.

6. to put out of one's mind.

   to bury an insult.

7. to consign to obscurity; cause to appear insignificant by assigning to an unimportant location, position, etc..

   Her name was buried in small print at the end of the book.

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noun

plural

buries

1. Nautical. housing.

idioms

1. bury the hatchet, to become reconciled or reunited.

2. bury one's head in the sand, to avoid reality; ignore the facts of a situation.

   You cannot continue to bury your head in the sand—you must learn to face facts.

bury ¹ British  

/ ˈbɛrɪ /

verb

1. to place (a corpse) in a grave, usually with funeral rites; inter

2. to place in the earth and cover with soil

3. to lose through death

4. to cover from sight; hide

5. to embed; sink

   to bury a nail in plaster

6. to occupy (oneself) with deep concentration; engross

   to be buried in a book

7. to dismiss from the mind; abandon

   to bury old hatreds

8. to cease hostilities and become reconciled

9. to refuse to face a problem

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Bury ² British  

/ ˈbɛrɪ /

noun

1. a town in NW England, in Bury unitary authority, Greater Manchester: an early textile centre. Pop: 60 178 (2001)

2. a unitary authority in NW England, in Greater Manchester. Pop: 181 900 (2003 est). Area: 99 sq km (38 sq miles)

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Other Word Forms

• rebury verb (used with object)

Etymology

Origin of bury

First recorded before 1000; Middle English berien, buryen, Old English byrgan “to bury, conceal”; akin to Old English beorgan “to hide, protect, preserve”; cognate with Dutch, German bergen, Gothic bairgan, Old Norse bjarga

Example Sentences

A formidable presence, a defender's nightmare - too tight and he'll turn you, drop off and he'll bury one from distance, try to tangle and he'll cause you all kinds of chaos.

From BBC

And just as I was about to bury myself in my book—that was when Oliver looked away from the girls at his table...and toward me.

From Literature

A quick glance at Elliot revealed his nose buried in the exact same book.

From Literature

Despite these advantages, inverted PSCs have been limited by problems at the bottom interface, also known as the buried interface, where the perovskite layer contacts the hole transport layer.

From Science Daily

They talk about all of the things that have been left unsaid, buried by their never-ending battle of wits.

From Salon

Related Words

• deposit
• entomb
• plant