pallbearer

[ pawl-bair-er ]

noun

1. one of several persons who carry or attend the coffin at a funeral.

pallbearer

/ ˈpɔːlˌbɛərə /

noun

1. a person who carries or escorts the coffin at a funeral

Word History and Origins

Origin of pallbearer¹

First recorded in 1700–10; pall ¹ + bearer

Example Sentences

Israeli police then attacked pallbearers at Akleh’s funeral, sparking international condemnation.

From Time

Jeziah was ready to work, handing out tissues and later leading the pallbearers to the hearse.

From Washington Post

Watching them standing around as the pallbearers brought those four caskets from the church left me in a state of rage.

From Washington Post

More than one said they had been asked to serve as a pallbearer.

From FiveThirtyEight

Castro actually flew up to Montreal to be a pallbearer at the 2000 funeral of a beloved Canadian Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau.

From The Daily Beast

Should you be a relative or a pallbearer, wear a black weed on your hat.

From Project Gutenberg

Numbering many times six hundred, they advance afoot, creeping at a pallbearer's pace behind a barrage fire.

From Project Gutenberg

Pallbearers are chosen from among his intimate friends; a relative never acts as pallbearer.

From Project Gutenberg

In 1780 he was a pallbearer at the funeral of Governor Hutchinson.

From Project Gutenberg

When my brother Blackford was senator, it seemed to me he spent most of his time acting as pallbearer for the dead ones.

From Project Gutenberg