graveyard

[ greyv-yahrd ]

/ ˈgreɪvˌyɑrd /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for graveyard on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

Informal. graveyard shift.

a place in which obsolete or derelict objects are kept: an automobile graveyard.

COMPARE MEANINGS

Click for a side-by-side comparison of meanings. Use the word comparison feature to learn the differences between similar and commonly confused words.

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of graveyard

First recorded in 1765–75; grave¹ + yard²

Words nearby graveyard

graveside, gravesite, gravestone, Gravettian, grave-wax, graveyard, graveyard orbit, graveyard shift, graveyard slot, graveyard stew, graveyard watch

How to use graveyard in a sentence

She compared reading through the poems for the audiobook to walking through a graveyard of old feelings, and doing so in front of a crowd is, well, vulnerable — for her and the audience.
Tarriona ‘Tank’ Ball is back on tour -- as a poet|Annabel Aguiar|July 13, 2021|Washington Post
Some towns moved to put their statues in cemeteries, only to learn that their local graveyards are supported by tax dollars, making the new locations nearly as problematic as the old, more prominent ones in front of courthouses or on town squares.
The Confederacy’s final resting place|Marc Fisher|May 30, 2021|Washington Post
Nearly six weeks since the Covid-19 situation in the country became alarming, the number of deaths because of the disease reported from various districts has been inconsistent with data from crematoriums and graveyards.
India has always undercounted its dead|Manavi Kapur|May 14, 2021|Quartz
As if scenes from overcrowded hospitals and SOS cries from people struggling to access oxygen and medicines were not enough, now images from New Delhi’s cremation grounds and graveyards are reflecting how bad things on the ground really are.
The recent spike in Delhi’s Covid-19 death toll is still likely a huge underestimation|Ananya Bhattacharya|April 23, 2021|Quartz

Afghanistan has long been a graveyard of empires, with the British, Soviets and now America all suffering military defeats or stalemates that seemed impossible on paper.
Butterfly Effect: Is China Ready to Step Up in Afghanistan?|Charu Kasturi|April 23, 2021|Ozy
Today, a forlorn air hangs over Santa Maria degli Angeli, like a graveyard where ghosts are buried.
The Venetian Nuns Who Ditched Their Habits for High Fashion|Liza Foreman|September 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By Alex Orlov for Life by DailyBurn If your fridge is a graveyard of expired foods, listen up.
Can This Device Save You From Food Poisoning?|DailyBurn|May 30, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On August 16, 1876, the chapel and its graveyard, Campo Santo, opened.
The Sacrificial Limbs of New Orleans|Nina Strochlic|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
From whales to ships to unlucky explorers, the Skeleton Coast has become the graveyard of many.
Namibia’s Spooky Skeleton Coast|Nina Strochlic|March 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A man took the bus home from the graveyard shift, bone-tired but dreaming big dreams for his son.
Full Text of President Obama’s 2014 State of the Union Address||January 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In 1763 the chapel was enlarged, and at the same time a little more land was added to the graveyard.
Showell's Dictionary of Birmingham|Thomas T. Harman and Walter Showell
I made a short cut across the graveyard of Saint Francis, or I must have met the escort.
St. Martin's Summer|Rafael Sabatini
The solitary footfall amid the silence reminds me of the timid haste of one crossing a graveyard at night.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman
It was the custom to place slaves thus at the feet of their masters, even in the graveyard.
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 101, March, 1866|Various
The graveyard of our Parish Church is, we dare say, something which very few people think of.
Our Churches and Chapels|Atticus

British Dictionary definitions for graveyard

graveyard

/ (ˈɡreɪvˌjɑːd) /

noun

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

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

graveyard

COMPARE MEANINGS

Origin of graveyard

Words nearby graveyard

Words related to graveyard

How to use graveyard in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for graveyard