funeral

American  

[fyoo-ner-uhl] / ˈfyu nər əl /

noun

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

• prefuneral adjective

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

Example Sentences

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

From Los Angeles Times

Apostolic Nuncio to Lebanon Paolo Borgia, who attended the funeral, said he "shared the worries" of the residents and was trying "to find solutions".

From Barron's

An obituary posted on a funeral home website after Dyer's death said he was "sweet, gentle, quiet, kind and very caring to those he loved".

From BBC

The last time I used it was the next spring, after his dad’s funeral.

From Literature

Reid, who presided over Flint's funeral in 2019, insisted people were "amazed" by the bench "and what it means to have it here".

From BBC

Related Words

• burial
• cremation