bury

Formsburies, burying, buried

Pluralburies

1. 1
   body in graveverbtransitive

   To place a dead body in a grave or tomb with ceremony, as part of a funeral or similar rite.

   Soldiers who died in the battle are buried with full military honors at the national cemetery.

   The whole village gathered to bury the old fisherman, singing hymns as his coffin was lowered into the grave.

   UsageOften passive: he was buried in the churchyard, buried with full honors.

   Similarinter, entomb

   Oppositeexhume, disinter

   Note

   What sets this meaning apart from the plain "into the ground" meaning is the rite: its object is the dead, and a tomb counts as much as earth.

2. 2
   cover with earthverbtransitive

   To place something in the ground, often covering it over with earth.

   Squirrels bury acorns all over the park each fall.

   The workers buried the new cable along the edge of the road.

   Similarhide, cache, sink, embed

   Oppositeunearth

3. 3
   hide from viewverbfigurativelytransitive

   To hide or obscure something by covering it, placing it out of sight, or surrounding it with more prominent things.

   The editors buried the correction in the back pages of the paper.

   Lawyers sometimes bury key conditions deep within long agreements.

   UsageCommon with the body and in the passive: bury your face in a pillow, buried in the small print.

   Similarhide, conceal, obscure

   Oppositehighlight, reveal, expose

   Note

   Here the covering can be done by the body or by the thing itself. You bury your face in a pillow or your hands, and a splinter buries itself under a nail.

4. 4
   push from mindverbfigurativelytransitive

   To suppress an emotion or memory and hide it away in one's mind.

   She buried the memory of the accident for decades.

   Many veterans bury their grief rather than talk about it.

   UsageCommon phrases are bury your feelings and bury the past.

   Similarsuppress, repress, stifle, hide, conceal

   Oppositeexpress, confront

5. 5
   overwhelmverbfigurativelytransitive

   To overwhelm someone or something with an amount too great to manage.

   The office buried the new clerk in paperwork during tax season.

   A sudden rush of orders can bury a small kitchen staff.

   UsageOften passive, with in or with before the burden: buried in paperwork.

   Similarswamp, overwhelm, inundate, flood, deluge

   Note

   Writers often pair it with overwhelmed for emphasis, as in a 2013 piece by Mike Weinberg on managers "overwhelmed in details and buried in administrative work". Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Mike Weinberg published the cited piece in 2013. mikeweinberg.com
   • The quotation accurately reproduces Weinberg's description of managers. mikeweinberg.com
6. 6
   end for goodverbfigurativelytransitive

   To put an end to something; to abandon it for good.

   The board buried the merger proposal after months of debate.

   Both companies agreed to bury the dispute and sign a new deal.

   UsageTypical objects are an argument or a dispute. Bury the hatchet means make peace.

   Similarabandon, drop, shelve, scrap, kill

   Oppositerevive, resurrect

   Note

   Ending a quarrel by laying it to rest. Shakespeare's Tragedie of Iulius Cæsar (first printed in 1623) has the line "In this I bury all unkindness, Cassius," spoken over a bowl of wine. Compare the suppressing sense: a buried memory lives on underneath, but a buried argument is meant to be over. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 1 fact

   • The play contains the quoted line, spoken by Brutus over a bowl of wine. folger.edu
7. 7
   score a goalverbtransitive

   To score with a clean, confident shot, putting the ball or puck into the net, basket or hole; to make a goal, shot or putt successfully.

   Martinez buried the rebound to tie the game late in the third period.

   Strikers at this level should bury those one-on-one chances.

   UsageCommon with shot, chance, rebound or penalty: bury the chance.

   Similarconvert, score, finish, net

   Oppositemiss

   Note

   Match reporters often use it for the strike itself rather than the goal it produces. Paul Fletcher's BBC report of Arsenal 3-0 Ipswich (2011) has Bendtner "burying his shot beyond Fulop". It suggests a clean, confident finish rather than a lucky one. Source

   Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

   • Paul Fletcher wrote the BBC report of Arsenal's 3–0 victory over Ipswich in 2011. en.wiktionary.org
   • The report describes Bendtner as “burying his shot beyond Fulop”. en.wiktionary.org

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