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

Example Sentences

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

Fears of ending up in some unemployment graveyard mean workers hold on to lower wages or jobs they hate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 6, 2026

I'm standing in a graveyard in Kirkconnel, Dumfriesshire, with the artist Andy Goldsworthy.

From BBC • Feb. 6, 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

The graveyard is completely silent, and a thin fog hovers just off the ground, making the tombstones look like they’re floating in clouds.

From "How to Disappear Completely" by Ali Standish

Related Words

• burial ground
• cemetery