hearse
Americannoun
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a vehicle for conveying a dead person to the place of burial.
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a triangular frame for holding candles, used at the service of Tenebrae in Holy Week.
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a canopy erected over a tomb.
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing hearse
Number the Stars
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One of Us Is Lying
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145th Street
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
People on the ground called her "Joni Hearse"; Raygun T-shirts are selling out ... it's just crazy what the reaction’s been.
From Salon • Jun. 17, 2025
The real discovery for many will be singer-songwriter Sam Dew, an Antonoff and Sounwave collaborator in the band Red Hearse, who lends some velvety textures to seven tracks.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 22, 2024
Cumberbatch, who plays the title role in Sherlock, said his first reading of the script for The Empty Hearse was "pure delight".
From BBC • Jan. 1, 2014
The Hearse, like much of Wampire's stuff, is in the murky Ariel Pink/John Maus/Gary War vein, where the sonics are pop-sludgy and the vocals are like a parody or a travesty of crooning.
From The Guardian • Feb. 18, 2013
It was a warm night for early June, and since the AC in Satan's Hearse hadn't worked in this millennium, the windows were cracked open.
From "An Abundance of Katherines" by John Green
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
