grave

[ greyv ]

/ greɪv /

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See synonyms for: grave / graved / graven / gravest on Thesaurus.com

noun

an excavation made in the earth in which to bury a dead body.

any place of interment; a tomb or sepulcher: a watery grave.

any place that becomes the receptacle of what is dead, lost, or past: the grave of unfulfilled ambitions.

death: O grave, where is thy victory?

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about grave

have one foot in the grave, to be so frail, sick, or old that death appears imminent: It was a shock to see my uncle looking as if he had one foot in the grave.

make (one) turn / turn over in one's grave, to do something to which a specified dead person would have objected bitterly: This production of Hamlet is enough to make Shakespeare turn in his grave.

Origin of grave

First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English græf; cognate with German Grab; see grave³

OTHER WORDS FROM grave

graveless, adjectivegravelike, adjectivegraveward, gravewards, adverb, adjective

Words nearby grave

graupel, Graustark, grav, gravadlax, gravamen, grave, graveclothes, gravedigger, gravel, gravel-blind, graveldiver

Other definitions for grave (2 of 5)

grave²

[ greyv; for 4, 6 also grahv ]

/ greɪv; for 4, 6 also grɑv /

adjective, grav·er, grav·est for 1-3, 5.

serious or solemn; sober: a grave person;grave thoughts.

weighty, momentous, or important: grave responsibilities.

threatening a seriously bad outcome or involving serious issues; critical: a grave situation;a grave illness.

Phonetics.

unaccented.
spoken on a low or falling pitch.
Orthography. noting or having a particular diacritic (`) indicating originally a comparatively low pitch (as in French père), distinct syllabic value (as in English belovèd), etc. (opposed to acute).

(of colors) dull;somber.

noun

Phonetics, Orthography. the grave accent.

OTHER WORDS FOR grave

1 sedate, staid, thoughtful.

See synonyms for grave on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR grave

1 frivolous, carefree.

See antonyms for grave on Thesaurus.com

Origin of grave

First recorded in 1535–45; from Middle French, from Latin gravis; akin to Greek barýs “heavy”

synonym study for grave

1. Grave, sober, solemn refer to the condition of being serious in demeanor or appearance. Grave indicates a weighty dignity, or the character, aspect, demeanor, speech, etc., of one conscious of heavy responsibilities or cares, or of threatening possibilities: The jury looked grave while studying the evidence. Sober (from its original sense of freedom from intoxication, and hence temperate, staid, sedate) has come to indicate absence of levity, gaiety, or mirth, and thus to be akin to serious and grave: as sober as a judge; a sober expression on one's face. Solemn implies an impressive seriousness and deep earnestness: The minister's voice was solemn as he announced the text.

OTHER WORDS FROM grave

gravely, adverbgraveness, nounun·grave·ly, adverb

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH grave

gravely , gravelly

Other definitions for grave (3 of 5)

grave³

[ greyv ]

/ greɪv /

verb (used with object), graved,grav·en or graved,grav·ing.

to carve, sculpt, or engrave.

to impress deeply: graven on the mind.

Origin of grave

First recorded before 1000; Middle English graven, Old English grafan; cognate with German graben

OTHER WORDS FROM grave

graver, noun

Other definitions for grave (4 of 5)

grave⁴

[ greyv ]

/ greɪv /

verb (used with object), graved, grav·ing.Nautical.

to clean and apply a protective composition of tar to (the bottom of a ship).

Origin of grave

⁴

First recorded in 1425–75; late Middle English; perhaps akin to gravel

Other definitions for grave (5 of 5)

grave⁵

[ grah-vey; Italian grah-ve ]

/ ˈgrɑ veɪ; Italian ˈgrɑ vɛ /

Music.

adjective

slow; solemn.

adverb

slowly; solemnly.

Origin of grave

⁵

First recorded in 1575–85; from Italian grave, from Latin gravis “heavy”; see grave²

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use grave in a sentence

“Big picture, the way I’m looking at it, I’m gonna go to my grave thinking I helped the city save millions and millions of dollars by helping the city secure control of two long-term assets,” Wood said.
The Deal Before the 101 Ash St. Debacle Helps Explain How We Got Here|Lisa Halverstadt and Jesse Marx|August 24, 2020|Voice of San Diego
The architects are likely rolling in their graves at this use of their plans, but our attention to detail allowed the producers of the virtual commencement video to transition seamlessly from the animated dome to images of the real one.
The Minecraft Institvte of Technology|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review
We need to use it as something that makes the situation more grave, rather than the only reason to give them protection.
Border Report: One More Way the Pandemic Is Hurting Asylum-Seekers|Maya Srikrishnan|August 3, 2020|Voice of San Diego
You’ll see it a lot on social media today in contexts that aren’t so grave and somber … like that chicken sandwich.
What Does “R.I.P.” Stand For?|Rachel Leonard|July 20, 2020|Everything After Z

Cassidy and Bradley’s team studied DNA from 44 individuals buried in various Irish tombs and graves dating to between roughly 6,600 and 4,500 years ago.
DNA from a 5,200-year-old Irish tomb hints at ancient royal incest|Bruce Bower|June 17, 2020|Science News
That distant whirring sound you hear is a long-dead Greek physician spinning in his grave.
Why So Many Surgeons Are Psychos|Russell Saunders|December 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A “komitetchik par excellence,” a man of “outstanding mediocrity,” and “the grave digger of the revolution.”
Kotkin Biography Reveals Stalin's Evil Pragmatism|William O’Connor|November 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“I read articles that say ‘here’s another white girl joining in on the dance party on the grave of hip hop,” she says.
From Church of Christ to Pansexual Rapper|Tyler Gillespie|November 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
“The amount of literal brainwork needed to do his job too such a toll on him that it sent him to an early grave,” Goode says.
From ‘The Good Wife’ to ‘The Imitation Game’: Matthew Goode Wages His Charm Offensive|Kevin Fallon|November 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You have focused on individual events and ideas in your books about Lincoln rather than the cradle-to-grave biographical approach.
What Lincoln Could Teach Fox News|Scott Porch|November 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The water suggested the fear that he must be nearing the open sea, and he became supernaturally grave.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne
After his death crowds flocked to his grave to touch his holy monument, till the authorities caused the church yard to be shut.
The Every Day Book of History and Chronology|Joel Munsell
They carried the two bodies together on some litters, and buried them both in the same grave.
The Philippine Islands, 1493-1898, Volume XX, 1621-1624|Various
He, therefore, did as he said; made no further observation, but conducted himself to his young friend with grave distance.
The Pastor's Fire-side Vol. 3 of 4|Jane Porter
As soon as he had seen his mother, he would set off again, and never cease searching till he had found either Ramona or her grave.
Ramona|Helen Hunt Jackson

British Dictionary definitions for grave (1 of 5)

grave¹

/ (ɡreɪv) /

noun

a place for the burial of a corpse, esp beneath the ground and usually marked by a tombstoneRelated adjective: sepulchral

something resembling a grave or resting placethe ship went to its grave

the grave a poetic term for death

have one foot in the grave informal to be near death

to make someone turn in his grave or to make someone turn over in his grave to do something that would have shocked or distressed (someone now dead)many modern dictionaries would make Dr Johnson turn in his grave

Word Origin for grave

Old English græf; related to Old Frisian gref, Old High German grab, Old Slavonic grobǔ; see grave ³

British Dictionary definitions for grave (2 of 5)

grave²

/ (ɡreɪv) /

adjective

serious and solemna grave look

full of or suggesting dangera grave situation

important; crucialgrave matters of state

(of colours) sober or dull

phonetics

(of a vowel or syllable in some languages with a pitch accent, such as ancient Greek) spoken on a lower or falling musical pitch relative to neighbouring syllables or vowels
of or relating to an accent (`) over vowels, denoting a pronunciation with lower or falling musical pitch (as in ancient Greek), with certain special quality (as in French), or in a manner that gives the vowel status as a syllable nucleus not usually possessed by it in that position (as in English agèd)Compare acute (def. 8), circumflex

noun

a grave accent

Derived forms of grave

gravely, adverbgraveness, noun

Word Origin for grave

C16: from Old French, from Latin gravis; related to Greek barus heavy; see gravamen

British Dictionary definitions for grave (3 of 5)

grave³

/ (ɡreɪv) /

verb graves, graving, graved, graved or graven (tr) archaic

to cut, carve, sculpt, or engrave

to fix firmly in the mind

Word Origin for grave

Old English grafan; related to Old Norse grafa, Old High German graban to dig

British Dictionary definitions for grave (4 of 5)

grave⁴

/ (ɡreɪv) /

verb

(tr) nautical to clean and apply a coating of pitch to (the bottom of a vessel)

Word Origin for grave

C15: perhaps from Old French grave gravel

British Dictionary definitions for grave (5 of 5)

grave⁵

/ (ˈɡrɑːvɪ) /

adjective, adverb

music to be performed in a solemn manner

Word Origin for grave

C17: from Italian: heavy, from Latin gravis

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with grave

grave

see dig one's own grave; from the cradle to the grave; one foot in the grave; turn in one's grave.

grave

Idioms about grave

Origin of grave

OTHER WORDS FROM grave

Words nearby grave

Other definitions for grave (2 of 5)

OTHER WORDS FOR grave

OPPOSITES FOR grave

Origin of grave

synonym study for grave

OTHER WORDS FROM grave

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH grave

Other definitions for grave (3 of 5)

Origin of grave

OTHER WORDS FROM grave

Other definitions for grave (4 of 5)

Origin of grave

Other definitions for grave (5 of 5)

Origin of grave

Words related to grave

How to use grave in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for grave (1 of 5)

Word Origin for grave

British Dictionary definitions for grave (2 of 5)

Derived forms of grave

Word Origin for grave

British Dictionary definitions for grave (3 of 5)

Word Origin for grave

British Dictionary definitions for grave (4 of 5)

Word Origin for grave

British Dictionary definitions for grave (5 of 5)

Word Origin for grave

Other Idioms and Phrases with grave