I. grave 1 /ɡreɪv/ BrE AmE noun [countable]
[ Language: Old English ; Origin: græf ]
1 . the place in the ground where a dead body is buried ⇨ tomb :
At the head of the grave there was a small wooden cross.
2 . the grave literary death:
He took that secret to the grave.
3 . somebody would turn in their grave used to say that someone who is dead would strongly disapprove of something happening now:
The way Bill plays that piece would have Mozart turning in his grave.
⇨ dig your own grave at ↑ dig 1 (8), ⇨ from (the) cradle to (the) grave at ↑ cradle 1 (3), ⇨ have one foot in the grave at ↑ foot 1 (24), ⇨ silent as the grave at ↑ silent (3), ⇨ a watery grave at ↑ watery (4)
• • •
COLLOCATIONS
■ verbs
▪ dig a grave
In the churchyard, a man was digging a grave.
▪ mark a grave
The stone marked the grave of their young daughter.
▪ bury somebody in a grave (=put someone in a grave)
She was buried in a grave next to her older sister.
■ ADJECTIVES/NOUN + grave
▪ a shallow grave (=a hole that is not very deep in the ground)
They found the woman’s remains in a shallow grave in the woods.
▪ a mass grave (=one that is filled with many people, especially people killed in a war or people who died of a disease at a similar time)
Plague victims were buried in a mass grave.
▪ an unmarked grave (=one that does not have anything to show where it is or who is in it)
Until 1855, poor people here were buried in unmarked graves.
▪ a family grave (=one where members of a family are buried together)
Walter died in 1922 and was buried in the family grave in Finchley cemetery.
▪ an open grave (=one that has not yet been covered in earth)
He wept by her open grave.
■ grave + NOUN
▪ a grave site (=the place where a grave is)
The President visited the grave sites of 12 youths killed in recent bombings.
II. grave 2 BrE AmE adjective
1 . grave problems, situations, or worries are very great or bad ⇨ serious :
Matthew’s life is in grave danger.
The report expressed grave concern over the technicians’ lack of training.
I have grave doubts about his ability.
The situation is becoming very grave.
REGISTER
In everyday English, people usually use serious rather than grave , and seriously rather than gravely :
▪
I have serious doubts about whether he’s up to the job.
▪
I’m seriously worried about her.
2 . looking or sounding quiet and serious, especially because something important or worrying has happened SYN sombre :
Turnbull’s face was grave as he told them about the accident.
—gravely adverb :
Adam nodded gravely.
We are gravely concerned (=very concerned) about these developments.
⇨ ↑ gravity
III. grave 3 /ɡrɑːv/ BrE AmE adjective
a grave ↑ accent is a mark put above a letter in some languages such as French to show the pronunciation, for example è ⇨ acute , circumflex