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
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 state media broadcast featured the 42-year-old dictator paying homage to the deceased, scattering dirt over one tomb and laying a white rose on another.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
A new study published in Nature Ecology & Evolution examines the remains of 132 individuals buried in a large megalithic tomb near Bury, about 50 kilometers north of Paris.
From Science Daily • Apr. 22, 2026
"May our Christian sisters and brothers know and celebrate the hope of the empty tomb - and may all people of the region receive the peace, justice and freedom they long for."
From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026
The tiles were on a panel by the tomb of Ottoman Sultan Selim II in the garden of the Hagia Sophia.
From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026
Then I would not know any secrets, I would be going out to feast today instead of to some dark and fearful tomb.
From "The Golden Goblet" by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
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.
