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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

"The band and the family wanted something fitting for the churchyard," Reid told the BBC.

From BBC

When in London, some years ago, I went to the sexton of a churchyard and asked him if I could go among the graves at 12 o’clock at night.

From Literature

It must have been ten degrees cooler in the churchyard, though.

From Literature

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

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.