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churchyard

American  
[church-yahrd] / ˈtʃɜrtʃˌyɑrd /

noun

  1. the yard or ground adjoining a church, often used as a graveyard.

churchyard British  
/ ˈtʃɜːtʃˌjɑːd /

noun

  1. the grounds surrounding a church, usually used as a graveyard

"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

Etymology

Origin of churchyard

1125–75; Middle English chirche yeard; church, yard 2

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.

Only days before, Al-Rahi had stood in the very churchyard where the crowd assembled Wednesday for his funeral.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2026

In the early 19th century, Americans usually died at home and were buried in the local churchyard or on family-owned land.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026

Jules said Peters' ashes will be buried in the churchyard across the road from the pub she runs with her sons.

From BBC • May 29, 2025

He had serviced many homes and spent his days working from a shop just across the street from the churchyard where he was buried, in a hurriedly dug mass grave, The Associated Press has learned.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 27, 2023

Some inventive rat had devised a fearsome weapon: chunks of iron grave-railings from the churchyard, strung to lengths of cord.

From "Redwall" by Brian Jacques

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.