tomb
Americannoun
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an excavation in earth or rock for the burial of a corpse; grave.
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a mausoleum, burial chamber, or the like.
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a monument for housing or commemorating a dead person.
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any sepulchral structure.
verb (used with object)
noun
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a place, esp a vault beneath the ground, for the burial of a corpse
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a stone or other monument to the dead
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a poetic term for death
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anything serving as a burial place
the sea was his tomb
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of tomb
1225–75; Middle English tumbe < Anglo-French; Old French tombe < Late Latin tumba < Greek týmbos burial mound; akin to Latin tumēre to swell. See tumor, tumulus
Explanation
A tomb is a place where a dead person is buried. Usually, a tomb is under a tombstone, which says the name of the person who died and when they lived. We're all going to die, and that means we're all going to end up in some type of tomb: a place where a corpse is buried. Over time, there have been many types of tombs, including the huge, ornate, elaborate tombs of the Egyptians. Other tombs are simpler, involving the simple burial of a box or the cremated remains.
Vocabulary lists containing tomb
Ancient Egypt - Introductory
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"The Pedestrian" by Ray Bradbury
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Words Whose Pronunciation Has Changed Over Time
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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.
The rescuers guided Gil out of his would-be tomb, onto a gurney and outside into the crush of onlookers waiting below the tropical sun, already blazing before 10 a.m.
From Los Angeles Times • Jul. 5, 2026
During the earlier phase, people buried in the tomb were often members of the same extended families, suggesting close-knit groups spanning multiple generations.
From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026
King Tutankhamun’s tomb, containing the pharaoh’s solid-gold inner coffin and death mask.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 16, 2026
The 70-year-old pope himself carried a large wooden cross through all 14 stations retracing Jesus Christ's path to the tomb, marking a return to a tradition observed by John Paul II and Benedict XVI.
From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026
I was looking for the tomb of a famous writer—Marcel Proust, I think, or maybe George Sand.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
