burke
[burk]
- 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.
Show More
Origin of burke
after W. Burke, hanged in 1829 in Edinburgh for murders of this kind
Burke
[burk]
- BillieMary William Ethelbert Appleton Burke, 1886–1970, U.S. actress.
- Edmund,1729–97, Irish statesman, orator, and writer.
- Kenneth Du·va [doo-vey] /duˈveɪ/, 1897–1993, U.S. literary critic.
Show More
Burk
or Burke
[burk]
- Martha Jane,1852?–1903, Calamity Jane.
Show More
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for burke
Contemporary Examples
Robert Kennedy and his Assistant Attorney General Burke Marshall brought new energy to the Civil Rights Division.
Honoring The Late John Doar, A Nearly Forgotten Hero Of The Civil Rights EraGary May
November 15, 2014
No friend of liberty can avoid the tumble back and forth between Burke and Paine.
An earlier Marquette Law School poll showed a tighter race, but with Burke again easily beating Walker by 18 points among women.
It is a place certainly worth visiting, and with Burke as host, one that is difficult to leave.
James Lee Burke Talks About His Fiction, History, and the American DreamDavid Masciotra
July 20, 2014
Burke insists that he is not nostalgic and he is not delusional.
James Lee Burke Talks About His Fiction, History, and the American DreamDavid Masciotra
July 20, 2014
Historical Examples
Burke winced, but he made shift to conceal his realization of the truth she had stated to him.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
Burke swung himself around in a movement of complete disgust.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
Inspector Burke will tell you how easy it is for me to get it.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
Inspector Burke himself filled the void in the halting sentence.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
It was Burke who offered a diversion, a crude interruption after his own fashion.
Within the LawMarvin Dana
burke
- to murder in such a way as to leave no marks on the body, usually by suffocation
- to get rid of, silence, or suppress
Show More
Word Origin
C19: named after William Burke, executed in Edinburgh for a murder of this type
Burke
- 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
Show More
burk
- British slang a variant spelling of berk
Show More
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for burke
Burke
v.
family name (first recorded 1066), from Anglo-Norman pronunciation of Old English burgh. Not common in England itself, but it took root in Ireland, where William de Burgo went in 1171 with Henry II and later became Earl of Ulster. As shorthand for a royalty reference book, it represents "A General and Heraldic Dictionary of the Peerage and Baronetage of the United Kingdom," first issued 1826, compiled by John Burke (1787-1848). As a verb meaning "murder by smothering," it is abstracted from William Burk, executed in Edinburgh 1829 for murdering several persons to sell their bodies for dissection.
Show More
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper