funeral
Americannoun
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the ceremonies for a dead person prior to burial or cremation; obsequies.
-
a funeral procession.
adjective
idioms
noun
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a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated
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( as modifier )
a funeral service
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a procession of people escorting a corpse to burial
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informal worry; concern; affair
that's your funeral
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing funeral
Beowulf vocabulary
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King Tut Day
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Unit 10
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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.
Funeral director Kirsty Sailes said: "I think it is great that people can do a bit more now and make things more personalised."
From BBC • Apr. 15, 2026
The family paid Risher $4,131 for funeral and embalming services in preparation for the funeral held at Casa Funeral Espinoza in Mexico.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 16, 2026
Appeared in the March 13, 2026, print edition as 'Mr. Fix-It’s Funeral'.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
Funeral industry trade associations require their members to comply with strict codes of conduct.
From BBC • Feb. 19, 2026
“I called ahead while you were in the john. You know where Wendell’s Funeral Parlor is?”
From "American Gods" by Neil Gaiman
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.
