graveyard

American  

[greyv-yahrd] / ˈgreɪvˌjɑrd /

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

They came to watch the sun as it set over the graveyard and battlefields behind it.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026

While this is by far the largest whale graveyard yet found, fossils found during trawling suggest there could be others off South Africa, the Iberian peninsula and the Crozet islands, said the study.

From Barron's • Jun. 10, 2026

The pop graveyard is full of bands who fell out, melted down and broke up.

From BBC • Jun. 4, 2026

“Great work by our graveyard Officers, even when tired, for trusting their instincts, staying persistent, and quite literally listening to the walls.”

From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026

Even the small bag of graveyard dirt and powdered brick I carried in the pocket of my dress was soaked with water.

From "Root Magic" by Eden Royce

Related Words

• burial ground
• cemetery