graveyard

American  

[greyv-yahrd] / ˈgreɪvˌyɑrd /

noun

1. a burial ground, often associated with smaller rural churches, as distinct from a larger urban or public cemetery.

2. Informal. graveyard shift.

3. a place in which obsolete or derelict objects are kept.

   an automobile graveyard.

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graveyard British  

/ ˈɡreɪvˌjɑːd /

noun

1. a place for graves; a burial ground, esp a small one or one in a churchyard

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Etymology

Origin of graveyard

First recorded in 1765–75; grave ¹ + yard ²

Compare meaning

How does graveyard compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• cemetery vs. graveyard

Explanation

A graveyard is an area where the dead are buried. When you walk through a historic graveyard, you'll see many beautiful old headstones and tombs. Other names for a graveyard are "cemetery" and "burial ground." It's slightly more common to use graveyard, a word that dates from about 1683, for the burial site near a church. If you work at a graveyard, you might care for the grave markers and plants. If, on the other hand, you work a graveyard shift, that simply means you work late at night.

Example Sentences

“He was old hat, and Las Vegas was seen as the graveyard of the stars.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 24, 2026

He drove to Arizona from his native California after determining that no other streamer had taken the graveyard shift on the Guthrie beat, and he plans on streaming the residence deep into the night.

From Slate • Feb. 23, 2026

Nicknamed Bob Coveiro - meaning "gravedigger" in Portuguese - the loyal dog brought comfort to mourners and became a fixture at the graveyard until his death in 2021, when he was buried alongside his guardian.

From BBC • Feb. 12, 2026

For most of the last week, Taufahema has left his graveyard shift job as a security guard and driven to the walkway across the 101 freeway between the Balboa Boulevard and White Oak Avenue exits.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 25, 2026

Now he is buried with our prayers in the holy earth of the pueblo’s graveyard, along with others of our family.

From "Beast Rider" by Tony Johnston & María Elena Fontanot de Rhoads

Related Words

• burial ground
• cemetery