burke
verb (used with object)
to murder, as by suffocation, so as to leave no or few marks of violence.
burke
1 American
[burk]
/ bɜrk /
verb (used with object)
burked,
burking
-
to murder, as by suffocation, so as to leave no or few marks of violence.
-
to suppress or get rid of by some indirect maneuver.
Burke
2
American
[burk]
/ bɜrk /
noun
-
Billie Mary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke, 1886–1970, U.S. actress.
-
Edmund, 1729–97, Irish statesman, orator, and writer.
-
Kenneth Duva 1897–1993, U.S. literary critic.
Burke
1
British
/ bɜːk /
noun
-
Edmund . 1729–97, British Whig statesman, conservative political theorist, and orator, born in Ireland: defended parliamentary government and campaigned for a more liberal treatment of the American colonies; denounced the French Revolution
-
Robert O'Hara . 1820–61, Irish explorer, who led the first expedition (1860–61) across Australia from south to north. He was accompanied by W. J. Wills, George Grey, and John King; King alone survived the return journey
-
William . 1792–1829, Irish murderer and body snatcher; associate of William Hare
burke
2
British
/ bɜːk /
verb
-
to murder in such a way as to leave no marks on the body, usually by suffocation
-
to get rid of, silence, or suppress
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of burke
After W. Burke, hanged in 1829 in Edinburgh for murders of this kind
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.
See Examples For:
There is no need for me to burke the words.
From The Record of Nicholas Freydon An Autobiography by A. J. (Alec John) Dawson
It has been said that in the delays in bringing forward this subject, I have been anxious to burke discussion.
From Indian speeches (1907-1909) by John Morley
Confound the greedy hypocrite!" said Bob; "does he think we shall let him burke the line for nothing?
From Stories by English Authors: Scotland (Selected by Scribners) by J. M. (James Matthew) Barrie
Better perhaps not to burke the matter that she knew was on his mind.
From The Thousandth Woman by Ernest W. Hornung
I think they used it first for Pethick Lawrence, that man who did so much to run the old militant suffragettes and burke the proper discussion of woman's future.
From Marriage by H. G. (Herbert George) Wells
With his music career taking off and a debut album about to be released, the lawsuit alleges, Burke was making millions of dollars and had a reason to silence the teenager.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
The lawsuit alleges that others “enabled Burke to isolate the decedent” and “facilitated” his travel, housing and security.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
Caro Claire Burke, the author of this summer’s runaway bestseller, “Yesteryear,” is one of the book’s greatest champions.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 1, 2026
In a statement, deputy public defender Walid Kandeel said Burke "is entitled to a defense that takes his circumstances seriously and carefully examines the evidence".
From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026
And she was not just a mother, she was also a wife to Arthur Burke, who had two sons of his own.
From "Betty Before X" by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renée Watson
They burked the challenge then; their half measures of diplomatic ostracism only strengthened Franco with his own people.
From Time Magazine Archive
‘There,’ says I to the people, ‘don’t you make no mistake: I ain’t burked the gent as took it into his head to dress up and come to see—’ But there!
From A Little World by George Manville Fenn
I am sure that present Royalty would neither be boycotted nor burked.
From My Life as an Author by Martin Farquhar Tupper
Or a rumour may be burked, or "hushed up."
From Stories That Words Tell Us by Elizabeth (Elizabeth Speakman) O'Neill
Cynthia wanted to come, but Mrs. Devar had evidently burked the excursion.
From Cynthia's Chauffeur by Louis Tracy
"I'm not even allowed to weed my own garden now," John thought, burking the point at issue; and his disillusionment became so profound that he actually invited Harold to go for a walk with him.
From Poor Relations by Compton MacKenzie
Any tax, therefore, levied on those who have neither land nor money is a crying injustice, except, indeed," he added with bitter irony, "we admit of a small pole-tax to keep down burking.
From Dilemmas of Pride, (Vol 1 of 3) by Margracia Loudon
The burking of his cablegrams, made known by the Baron, was the last straw in an aggravated load.
From The Wheel O' Fortune by Louis Tracy
It was a singular fact that the really effective means of burking inquiry by the local authorities only occurred to Armathwaite's perplexed brain as he was hurrying back to the Grange.
From The House 'Round the Corner by Louis Tracy
But there is an Ulster difficulty, and no amount of burking it will solve it.
From The Insurrection in Dublin by James Stephens
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.
