I. ˈberē, -ri verb
( -ed/-ing/-es )
Etymology: Middle English berien, burien, from Old English byrgan; akin to Old English beorgan to preserve, defend, borgian to borrow, Old High German bergan to shelter, hide, Old Norse bjarga to save, Gothic bairgan to keep, save, Russian berech' to look after, save
transitive verb
1.
a. : to dispose of (a corpse) by depositing in the earth, a grave, or a tomb, by consigning to the water, or by cremation
they buried the victims where they fell
he was buried at sea
especially : to inter with appropriate funeral ceremonies
they buried him with full military honors
b. : to perform the burial rites of
the priest that buried my father
c. : to lose by death
she has buried three husbands
d. : to be or become responsible for the burial costs of
he left nothing, the town had to bury him
2. : to cover especially with earth
like a dog burying his bone
as
a. : to dispose of by covering out of sight in the earth
a wise camper buries his garbage every day
— used especially when the object dealt with is regarded as permanently abandoned
b. : to conceal by or as if by covering with earth
burying treasures in the sand
c. : to cover from view
she buried her face in her hands
3. : to put irrevocably or completely out of sight or mind: as
a. : to consign to oblivion : have done with : give up
finally burying their differences
b. : to conceal in obscurity : remove from the world of action or affairs (as by remoteness)
buried his family in the country
buried herself in the cloister
often : to render negligible by depriving of proper prominence
buried the retraction among the classified ads
c. : submerge , engross — usually used with in
had necessarily buried himself in his books
buried in grief and despair
d. in card games : to put (one or more cards) permanently or temporarily out of play (as by placing an exposed card in or under the dealer's pack or by covering a card in certain solitaire games)
intransitive verb
: to become buried ; specifically : to thrust the bow of a ship under water
Synonyms: see conceal
•
- bury the hatchet
II. noun
( -es )
1. : a dugout or pit in the earth in which potatoes or other vegetables are protected against freezing ; often : a heap or quantity of produce stored in a bury : clamp
2. : the depth at which something is buried beneath a surface
in milder regions a bury of two feet will protect the pipes
III. ˈbəri noun
( -es )
Etymology: alteration of burrow (I)
dialect Britain : burrow I 1
IV. transitive verb
1. : to succeed emphatically or impressively in making (a shot in a game)
bury a jumper
2. : to defeat overwhelmingly