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

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

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

The report also highlighted a "siloed way of working" described by some families between the bereavement service, mortuary and funeral directors.

From BBC ● Jul. 18, 2026

If he has financial accounts, a life-insurance policy or funeral arrangements, I have no idea how I would find out.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

In March, Chinese authorities banned entombing cremated remains in empty apartments, a practice that took off as mourners tried to dodge rising funeral costs.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

She died aged 86 on 23 June, and Deschamps temporarily left the national team camp in the United States to return to France for her funeral - missing their 4-1 victory over Norway.

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

When I get to the front, I see a sight that stops me cold—Aunt J is off in the corner, doing something I haven’t seen her do since Mom’s funeral.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Daniel High School, sending flowers when anyone lost a parent and showing up at funerals, where he insisted on waiting in line to greet the family.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Some families may have traditional funerals, while others might opt for a “celebration of life,” which can be a joyous event with music and visuals.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026

Other charitable funds help maintain the department’s fleet of helicopters, support the spouses and children of slain officers and promote the official police department band that performs at graduations, funerals and other functions.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 28, 2026

Speaking to BBC World Service's Newsday, he said their plan looks at how to avoid waste, how to isolate and manage cases, and how to ensure people have "dignified funerals".

From BBC ● May 25, 2026

During these funerals Mr. Ray would usually just take charge and get it done.

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

Related Words

• burial
• cremation