funeral

American  

[fyoo-ner-uhl] / ˈfju nər əl /

noun

• funerals
  plural

1. the ceremonies for a dead person prior to burial or cremation; obsequies.

2. a funeral procession.

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adjective

1. of or relating to a funeral.

   funeral services; funeral expenses.

idioms

1. be someone's funeral, to have unpleasant consequences for someone.

   If you don't finish the work on time, it will be your funeral!

funeral British  

/ ˈfjuːnərəl /

noun

1. 1. a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated

   2. ( as modifier )

      a funeral service

2. a procession of people escorting a corpse to burial

3. informal worry; concern; affair

   that's your funeral

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funeral More Idioms  

1. see it's your funeral.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prefuneral
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• funerals
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of funeral

1350–1400; Middle English (adj.) < Medieval Latin fūnerālis, equivalent to Latin fūner-, stem of fūnus funeral rites + -ālis -al ¹; (noun), from early 16th cent., probably < Middle French funerailles < Medieval Latin fūnerālia, neuter plural of fūnerālis

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Explanation

A funeral is a ceremony to bury or cremate the dead. If you go to a funeral, wear black and try not to seem like you're having fun. Funeral comes from the Latin root fūnus, for "dead body," and so a funeral is the ritual that surrounds taking care of a dead body. Depending on the dead person's beliefs, there will often be a representative of a religion there to honor them in a traditional way. Sometimes we use funeral for dead things other than dead people. If you just gave a really bad party, you could call it a funeral for your social life.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

funeral funerals

Vietnam held funeral rites for more than 700 of its war dead on Wednesday, unearthed in a major push to identify those missing from decades of conflict with France and the United States.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

At the funeral service on Wednesday, patriotic songs blaring, the city's deputy mayor Nguyen Manh Cuong said authorities "will not overlook any opportunity or method to continue the journey of searching for the fallen comrades".

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

They were only released a day later - while Dipke has returned home to attend his grandmother's funeral, Das and Ranka held a press conference where they said the protests would continue.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

A hotel could charge a higher price for a person traveling for a funeral.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

When somebody dies, you get closure by having a funeral.

From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller

More recently, like most Israelis, I have been to dozens of funerals and shiva houses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 8, 2026

His church does "a lot more funerals than we do weddings and baptisms," he explains.

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Courts have repeatedly upheld buffer-zone protections for funerals, polling sites and other places where people deserve to be left in peace; a law addressing disruptive behavior at houses of worship is on solid constitutional ground.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

Drastic restrictions on cross-country travel took effect Thursday in cash-strapped Cuba, with spaces on ever scarcer trains and buses now reserved for the sick, people traveling for funerals and other emergencies.

From Barron's ● Jun. 18, 2026

Like the one I normally feel at the funerals, but it was different this time.

From "The Boy in the Black Suit" by Jason Reynolds

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Related Words

• burial
• cremation

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