hearse

American  

[hurs] / hɜrs /

noun

1. a vehicle for conveying a dead person to the place of burial.

2. a triangular frame for holding candles, used at the service of Tenebrae in Holy Week.

3. a canopy erected over a tomb.

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hearse British  

/ hɜːs /

noun

1. a vehicle, such as a specially designed car or carriage, used to carry a coffin to a place of worship and ultimately to a cemetery or crematorium

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Other Word Forms

• hearselike
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of hearse

1250–1300; Middle English herse < Middle French herce a harrow < Latin hirpicem, accusative of hirpex

Explanation

A hearse is a long black car with a very specific purpose: carrying a coffin to a church or cemetery. Some vehicles have very specific functions, and the hearse is one of them. It's only use is for carrying coffins, usually to or from a church or cemetery. As with most things surrounding funerals, a hearse is black. It's also long, so it can fit the coffin. Before cars were invented, hearses were pulled by horses. Of all the vehicles in the world, the hearse is probably the most depressing.

Example Sentences

A hearse driver lost his argument that the corpse in back was a passenger.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 26, 2026

In my neighborhood, the only time you ever saw a limousine was behind a hearse at a funeral.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 18, 2026

After it’s confirmed in the hospital that she’s gone, we see Harold racing along a twisty turny road in his car, a Jaguar with a hearse top welded onto it.

From Salon • Feb. 17, 2026

Paramedics and police officers stood at attention as the hearse passed.

From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026

The back doors of the hearse were opened and the coffin slid out.

From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt