tomb

[ toom ]

/ tum /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR tomb ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

an excavation in earth or rock for the burial of a corpse; grave.

a mausoleum, burial chamber, or the like.

a monument for housing or commemorating a dead person.

any sepulchral structure.

verb (used with object)

to place in or as if in a tomb; entomb; bury.

Nearby words

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

Related formstomb·al, adjectivetomb·less, adjectivetomb·like, adjectiveun·tombed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for tomb

In addition to visiting the tomb of John Paul, who died of natural causes in 2005, Agca asked to see his successor, Pope Francis.
Pope-Shooter Ali Agca’s Very Weird Vatican Visit|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He has put flowers on the tomb of John Paul II,” said Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi, “I think that is enough.
Pope-Shooter Ali Agca’s Very Weird Vatican Visit|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But the proud stone lion that once stood atop the tomb, as Peristeri has often maintained, suggests a male occupant and a warrior.
Is This Alexander the Great’s Tomb—or His Wife’s?|James Romm|December 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tomb, though much smaller than the palace, is similarly a vision of ornate twists, arches, and peaks.
The Postman Who Built a Palace in France…by Hand|Nina Strochlic|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Archeological finds at the Amphipolis tomb may date back to Alexander the Great.
Amphipolis Tomb Yields Amazing Finds But Mysteries Linger|James Romm|October 17, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In the midst shone the single pure flame of a massive silver lamp, rifled from the tomb of a saint.
The Mercy of Allah|Hilaire Belloc
He first appears in Castle Dangerous as "Knight of the tomb."
Character Sketches of Romance, Fiction and the Drama, Vol 1|The Rev. E. Cobham Brewer, LL.D.
Then we arose, and ascended the stairway, and my uncle ordered the workmen to replace the stones upon the tomb.
Sindbad the Sailor & Other Stories from The Arabian Nights|Edmund Dulac
He also was the first for whom family piety sought to provide a happy life beyond the tomb.
History Of Egypt, Chalda, Syria, Babylonia, and Assyria, Volume 1 (of 12)|G. Maspero
That death embrace and the tomb were, then, only solemn mockeries!
The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 17, No. 102, April, 1866|Various

British Dictionary definitions for tomb

tomb

/ (tuːm) /

noun

a place, esp a vault beneath the ground, for the burial of a corpse

a stone or other monument to the dead

the tomb a poetic term for death

anything serving as a burial placethe sea was his tomb

verb

(tr) rare to place in a tomb; entomb

Derived Formstomblike, adjective

Word Origin for tomb

C13: from Old French tombe, from Late Latin tumba burial mound, from Greek tumbos; related to Latin tumēre to swell, Middle Irish tomm hill

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for tomb

tomb

late 13c., from Anglo-French tumbe, Old French tombe (12c.), from Late Latin tumba (cf. Italian tomba, French tombe, Spanish tumba), from Greek tymbos "burial mound, grave, tomb," from PIE root *teu- "to swell" (see thigh). The final -b began to be silent 14c. (cf. lamb, dumb). The Tombs, slang for "New York City prison" is recorded from 1840.