bury

[ ber-ee ]

verb (used with object)

, bur·ied, bur·y·ing.

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.

noun

, plural bur·ies.

1. Nautical. housing ¹( def 8a, 8b ).

bury

¹

/ 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. bury the hatchet
   to cease hostilities and become reconciled
9. bury one's head in the sand
   to refuse to face a problem

Bury

²

/ 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)

Other Words From

• re·bur·y verb (used with object) reburied reburying

Word History and Origins

Origin of bury¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of bury¹

Old English byrgan to bury, hide; related to Old Norse bjarga to save, preserve, Old English beorgan to defend

Idioms and Phrases

Idioms

1. 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.

2. bury the hatchet, to become reconciled or reunited.

Example Sentences

Then they intended to bury her, but she looked more alive than dead, and she still had such pretty red cheeks.

From The Daily Beast

In the special, Workman plays the old man who, as a cabin boy, watched the pirates bury their treasure.

From The Daily Beast

Us is me and Gus, driving our bus across the land; when we die, just bury us together, hand in hand.

From The Daily Beast

The landscape looks something like the marsh behind the Toys ‘R’ Us where Tony Soprano might bury a body in Jersey.

From The Daily Beast

Just days before, the officer told him, 19 bodies of Ebola victims were left lying outside with few men to bury them.

From The Daily Beast

If they are still Moderns and alive, I defy you to bury them if you are discussing living questions in a full and honest way.

From Project Gutenberg

The swift breeze seemed to Edna to bury the sting of it into the pores of her face and hands.

From Project Gutenberg

Two years before her death Mrs. Otis was glad to bury her mortification and misery in Rosewater.

From Project Gutenberg

Meanwhile Benny looked on with great delight as Watch tried to bury his bone with only one paw to dig with.

From Project Gutenberg

Since the number of casualties was extremely high during this battle, Jackson allowed Banks to bury his dead the following day.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• deposit
• entomb
• plant