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

The U.N. agency has the “firm impression” that Iran’s stockpiles of highly enriched uranium still lie buried at the sites bombed last June, Grossi said earlier this month.

From The Wall Street Journal

He’s so mad at his stepmama for putting those socks on his father, and I’ve heard this before when people are like, that’s not what they want to be buried in!

From Los Angeles Times

When it comes to Mars, accessing buried ice will require the right tools.

From Science Daily

Duane grunted and moaned, and just when he thought he was making some progress in digging his cave, he came up against a sturdy wall of snow buried within the snow.

From Literature

I sat down, buried my face in my arms, and made a lot of choking, sobbing sounds like I was crying.

From Literature

Related Words

• deposit
• entomb
• plant