Graveyard
'ɡreɪvjɑːrd
Definitions
A place, usually enclosed, where dead bodies are buried.
'ɡreɪvjɑːrd
A place for burying the dead.
The old graveyard was overgrown with weeds and ancient trees.
💡 Simply: A graveyard is like a park for dead people. It's where they are buried underground. You might see tombstones there to remember them.
👶 For kids: A graveyard is a place where people are buried after they die.
More Examples
We visited the graveyard to pay our respects to our ancestors.
The spooky graveyard was a popular spot for Halloween activities.
How It's Used
"Many historical figures are buried in the old graveyard."
"The novel opens with a chilling scene in a moonlit graveyard."
Idioms & expressions
graveyard shift
A work shift that takes place late at night or early morning.
"She works the graveyard shift at the hospital, starting at midnight."
From "grave" + "yard". The word "grave" comes from Old English "græf" (tomb, grave), and "yard" comes from Old English "geard" (enclosure, garden). The combined term first appeared in the late Middle Ages.
The word 'graveyard' has been used to describe burial grounds since the late Middle Ages, particularly in reference to the land surrounding churches, where burials often took place.
Memory tip
Think of a yard where graves are kept; it's the graveyard.