bury

UK:*UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈbɛri/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈbɛri/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(berē)

Inflections of 'bury' (n): npl: buries
Inflections of 'bury' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
buries
v 3rd person singular
burying
v pres p
buried
v past
buried
v past p

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025
bur•y /ˈbɛri/USA pronunciation   v. [+ object], -ied, -y•ing. 
  1. to put (a dead body) in the ground or a vault, or into the sea, often with ceremony:buried next to his wife of fifty years.
  2. to put in the ground and cover with earth:The treasure was buried in six feet of earth.
  3. to cover with something:He was buried in the rubble of the building.
  4. plunge into;
    sink into:[often: ~ + oneself/itself]The bullet had buried itself in the tree.
  5. to conceal from sight;
    hide: to bury a card in the deck.
  6. [+ oneself] to be occupied in: He buried himself in his work.
Idioms
  1. Idioms bury one's head in the sand, to ignore the facts of a situation:You have to take a stand on this issue and stop burying your head in the sand.
  2. Idioms bury the hatchet, to stop fighting:decided to bury the hatchet and see if we could work together once more.


WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025
bur•y  (berē),USA pronunciation v., bur•ied, bur•y•ing, n., pl. bur•ies. 
v.t. 
  1. to put in the ground and cover with earth:The pirates buried the chest on the island.
  2. to put (a corpse) in the ground or a vault, or into the sea, often with ceremony:They buried the sailor with full military honors.
  3. to plunge in deeply;
    cause to sink in:to bury an arrow in a target.
  4. to cover in order to conceal from sight:She buried the card in the deck.
  5. to immerse (oneself ):He buried himself in his work.
  6. to put out of one's mind:to bury an insult.
  7. to consign to obscurity;
    cause to appear insignificant by assigning to an unimportant location, position, etc.:Her name was buried in small print at the end of the book.
  8. Idioms bury one's head in the sand, to avoid reality;
    ignore the facts of a situation:You cannot continue to bury your head in the sand—you must learn to face facts.
  9. Idioms bury the hatchet, to become reconciled or reunited.

n. 
  1. Naval Terms[Naut.]housing1 (def. 8a, b).
  • bef. 1000; Middle English berien, buryen, Old English byrgan to bury, conceal; akin to Old English beorgan to hide, protect, preserve; cognate with Dutch, German bergen, Gothic bairgan, Old Norse bjarga
    • 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged inter, entomb, inhume.
    • 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged hide, secrete.
    • 2.See corresponding entry in Unabridged disinter, exhume.
    • 4.See corresponding entry in Unabridged uncover.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
bury / ˈbɛrɪ/ (buries, burying, buried)(transitive)
  1. to place (a corpse) in a grave, usually with funeral rites; inter
  2. to place in the earth and cover with soil
  3. to cover from sight; hide
  4. to embed; sink: to bury a nail in plaster
  5. to occupy (oneself) with deep concentration; engross: to be buried in a book
  6. to dismiss from the mind; abandon: to bury old hatreds
Etymology: Old English byrgan to bury, hide; related to Old Norse bjarga to save, preserve, Old English beorgan to defend
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
Bury / ˈbɛrɪ/
  1. a town in NW England, in Bury unitary authority, Greater Manchester: an early textile centre. Pop: 60 178 (2001)
  2. a unitary authority in NW England, in Greater Manchester. Pop: 181 900 (2003 est). Area: 99 sq km (38 sq miles)
'bury' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):

Forum discussions with the word(s) "bury" in the title:


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