graveyard

American  

[greyv-yahrd] / ˈgreɪvˌyɑrd /

noun

1. a burial ground, often associated with smaller rural churches, as distinct from a larger urban or public cemetery.

2. Informal. graveyard shift.

3. a place in which obsolete or derelict objects are kept.

   an automobile graveyard.

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graveyard British  

/ ˈɡreɪvˌjɑːd /

noun

1. a place for graves; a burial ground, esp a small one or one in a churchyard

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Etymology

Origin of graveyard

First recorded in 1765–75; grave ¹ + yard ²

Compare meaning

How does graveyard compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cemetery vs. graveyard

Example Sentences

“The hat! It must have flown off when we ran though the graveyard.”

From Literature

For most of the last week, Taufahema has left his graveyard shift job as a security guard and driven to the walkway across the 101 freeway between the Balboa Boulevard and White Oak Avenue exits.

From Los Angeles Times

"There's a graveyard of voluntary industry initiatives that shows that handshake agreements and industry commitments are no better than the paper they're written on," Faber told AFP.

From Barron's

Add in recent cemetery thefts in Nebraska, North Dakota, New Mexico, Washington: Across the nation, American graveyards are being pilfered.

From The Wall Street Journal

She was as superstitious as a black cat breaking a mirror in a graveyard.

From Literature

Related Words

• burial ground
• cemetery