bury
verb (used with object)
to put in the ground and cover with earth.
bury
American
[ber-ee]
/ ˈbɛr i /
verb (used with object)
-
buries,
present (3rd person singular)
-
buried,
past participle, past
-
burying
present participle
-
to put in the ground and cover with earth.
The pirates buried the chest on the island.
-
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.
-
to plunge in deeply; cause to sink in.
to bury an arrow in a target.
-
to cover in order to conceal from sight.
She buried the card in the deck.
- Antonyms:
- uncover
-
to immerse (oneself).
He buried himself in his work.
-
to put out of one's mind.
to bury an insult.
-
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.
noun
-
buries
plural
idioms
-
bury the hatchet, to become reconciled or reunited.
-
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
-
to place (a corpse) in a grave, usually with funeral rites; inter
-
to place in the earth and cover with soil
-
to lose through death
-
to cover from sight; hide
-
to embed; sink
to bury a nail in plaster
-
to occupy (oneself) with deep concentration; engross
to be buried in a book
-
to dismiss from the mind; abandon
to bury old hatreds
-
to cease hostilities and become reconciled
-
to refuse to face a problem
Bury
2
British
/ ˈbɛrɪ /
noun
-
a town in NW England, in Bury unitary authority, Greater Manchester: an early textile centre. Pop: 60 178 (2001)
-
a unitary authority in NW England, in Greater Manchester. Pop: 181 900 (2003 est). Area: 99 sq km (38 sq miles)
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
burysimple
-
buriessimple
-
have buriedperfect
-
has buriedperfect
-
am buryingprogressive
-
are buryingprogressive
-
is buryingprogressive
-
have been buryingperfect progressive
-
has been buryingperfect progressive
Past
-
buriedsimple
-
had buriedperfect
-
was buryingprogressive
-
were buryingprogressive
-
had been buryingperfect progressive
Future
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
Explanation
When you dig a hole in the ground, put an object in the hole, and cover it up with dirt, you bury it. Your dog might prefer spending the majority of his time digging holes to bury his toy collection. You can bury something to hide it, or it can be part of a funeral ritual to bury a person who's died. You could also predict that the coming snow will bury the city, or you might bury your face in your hands if you were feeling dejected. The root of bury is the Proto-Indo-European word bhergh, "to protect or preserve." If you bury your money in the yard, maybe you're trying to protect it from thieves.
Vocabulary lists containing bury
"Eleven"
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List 5
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"Mysteries of the Ancient Past"
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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:
Realizing in real-time that they had walked straight into a trap, the senator’s team tried to bury the evidence and move on before anyone noticed.
From Salon ● Oct. 1, 2026
Though her urn remains in the place she loved most, Landers hopes, someday, to bury her ashes in the Hollywood Forever Cemetery next to her youngest son.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 22, 2026
Both camps last week agreed to bury the hatchet—for now—as all of the party’s eight state governors agreed to write a joint letter that didn’t mention Merz by name but expressed support for the chancellor.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 21, 2026
"I definitely lead a lot with my head and try and push aside, bury my emotion."
From BBC ● Sep. 18, 2026
“Why didn’t you bury her in a coffin?”
From "The Line Tender" by Kate Allen
But that isn’t all that surprising at this early stage in an investigation, Bury said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026
A genetic study of 132 people buried in a large megalithic tomb near Bury, about 50 kilometers north of Paris, has uncovered evidence of a dramatic population collapse and replacement during the Stone Age.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 8, 2026
The buses operate as part of the Bee Network alongside trams and bicycles, which helps connect Manchester city centre with the areas around it like Salford, Bury and Rochdale.
From BBC ● Jul. 5, 2026
He usually takes Max for a walk in the morning before work and again in the evening, making the most of the many parks and forests in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, where he lives.
From BBC ● Jul. 3, 2026
“Isn’t it about time you got over that? Bury your dead, Jean Louise.”
From "Go Set a Watchman: A Novel" by Harper Lee
At every turn, Schoenbrun buries the movie alive, heaping layer upon layer of meta subtext onto it.
From Salon ● Aug. 26, 2026
Dozens of crumbling buildings in Venezuela's decimated earthquake zone bear a spray-painted letter 'D' -- a sign that buries any hope of finding life beneath the rubble.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
She padlocks the gate when she returns and buries witchy talismans around the property to ward off intruders.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 14, 2025
When the Civil Defence buries its own, where possible the vests of the dead are laid on their bodies.
From BBC ● Jan. 24, 2025
On my family: My mother buries her grief in her work.
From "Mockingjay" by Suzanne Collins
When Parsons posted a note about the fraudulent charges, it was quickly buried by the nonsense.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2026
The brilliant Korean filmmaker Lee Chang-dong is a suffering protagonist’s best friend, exploring the buried pain in people like no other filmmaker.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 23, 2026
Eisenkot, a general who, in Leon’s words, “comes from the people,” and who buried his son Gal can make that case.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026
But a commemoration society in his name, who have lodged the application, has said it wants to "fulfil his wish" of being buried in County Antrim.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
As she answered his questions, the “small, magnetic … negligently dressed” former celebrity paced the room, buried her face in her hands, and played “fitful floods of wild and incoherent melody” on a piano.
From "American Spirits" by Barb Rosenstock
The Lakers brought in nine new players during an offseason roster overhaul, further burying Knecht on the forward depth chart.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 19, 2026
And the person they're burying is the disillusioned girl from Stop The Wedding.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
Vesuvius erupted, burying Pompeii and killing his uncle, Pliny the Elder.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
Why does tennis keep burying its best product?
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 11, 2026
And of course I remember Mama, pulling me in close and burying her nose in my hair soon as I walked in the door.
From "Finding Langston" by Lesa Cline-Ransome
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