cemetery

American  

[sem-i-ter-ee] / ˈsɛm ɪˌtɛr i /

noun

• cemeteries
  plural

1. an area set apart for or containing graves, tombs, or funeral urns, especially one that is not a churchyard; burial ground; graveyard.

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cemetery British  

/ ˈsɛmɪtrɪ /

noun

1. a place where the dead are buried, esp one not attached to a church

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• cemeteries
  plural

Etymology

Origin of cemetery

1375–1425; late Middle English < Late Latin coemētērium < Greek koimētḗrion a sleeping place, equivalent to koimē- (variant stem of koimân to put to sleep) + -tērion suffix of locality

Compare meaning

How does cemetery compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cemetery vs. graveyard

Explanation

A cemetery is the land used for burials. If you are 11 and you purchase a plot in a cemetery, you are planning too far ahead. Cemetery comes all the way from the Greek work koimētērion, which means "sleeping place." But the sleep you do in cemeteries is an eternal one. Cemeteries can often be found near churches, or in big parks outside of cities, usually gated off because the ground has been consecrated, or blessed. Sometimes we use cemetery metaphorically. The sea is a cemetery for shipwrecked sailors, just as a junk shop might be a cemetery for old shoes.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

cemetery cemeteries

Armand considers a series of increasingly sinister explanations as he tries to make sense of Daisy’s back story and how it might relate to the body in the cemetery.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026

"Anyone who banishes Stolpersteine and memorial sites commemorating Jewish life from public spaces to the cemetery is prioritising death over life and rendering Jewish people invisible once again," she told Bild.

From BBC ● Sep. 26, 2026

The group then reconvened at the Glendale cemetery, where a priest said prayers over the casket, which was gently lowered into the ground as teary-eyed friends and family members watched.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 15, 2026

The vast Theban necropolis, comprising an area of around 10km², was Egypt’s main royal and elite cemetery for half a millennium, from ca.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 10, 2026

When my great-uncle Elvin died last year, a parade of black cars transported his casket from the funeral home to the cemetery.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

Turrell spoke movingly of the close friends he lost during the campaign, some of whom he buried in the field, and who are now buried in Commonwealth war cemeteries on the continent.

From BBC ● Aug. 29, 2026

The cemeteries, neighborhood councils and clergy leaders had opposed the loss of motor vehicle lanes, saying it would cause a traffic nightmare.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026

Male sacrificial victims were concentrated near the East Gate, while female sacrificial remains were found in elite cemeteries including Huangchengtai and Hanjiagedan.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026

While most people look to the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution to understand America, I look to its cemeteries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

“I checked the occult bookstores, the spooky carnivals, the abandoned cemeteries, and all the obscure and little-trafficked corners of the city. Nothing!”

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• garden
• graveyard
• mortuary
• tomb