tomb

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: an excavation in which a corpse is buried : grave
b
: a place of interment
2
: a house, chamber, or vault for the dead
3
: a building or structure resembling a tomb (as in appearance)
tombless adjective

tomb

2 of 2

verb

tombed; tombing; tombs

Examples of tomb in a Sentence

Noun the tomb of Alexander the Great explored the historic graveyard and saw tombs that dated back two centuries Verb Forest Lawn is where many of Tinseltown's immortals are tombed for all eternity.
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
One especially sumptuous tomb held an individual dubbed the Ivory Lady, who was buried between 2900 and 2800 B.C.E. with exotic items including an African elephant tusk and a clay platter bearing chemical traces of wine and cannabis. Bridget Alex, Smithsonian Magazine, 5 Mar. 2024 The Imperial planet, home to Princess Irulan (Florence Pugh), was filmed at the Brion tomb in Italy. Charlie Hobbs, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Mar. 2024 Outside, the rock-hewn tomb was shaped like a cube and had several fake doors. Aspen Pflughoeft, Miami Herald, 27 Feb. 2024 These were filled with the tears of mourners and placed within the tomb. Jeanine Barone, Forbes, 26 Feb. 2024 Alexander the Great’s father’s remains have been identified in a Greek tomb using X-ray analysis, a new study says. Brie Stimson, Fox News, 17 Feb. 2024 While these tombs were built late in ancient Egypt's long history, a period that represented huge changes in governance and society, the representation of baboons had remained consistent ever since the beginnings of complex civilization in the Nile Valley. Joshua Rapp Learn, Discover Magazine, 12 Feb. 2024 Recently, an expedition of Japanese and Egyptian archaeologists unearthed three such masks in a series of cut-rock tombs in the cliffs of Saqqara, a primary burial site for the Pharaonic capital of Memphis. Franz Lidz, New York Times, 12 Feb. 2024 His mother, Cedella Booker, was buried in an adjacent mausoleum in 2008; his brother, Anthony Booker, was interred in a tomb above Bob in 1990. Alex Gurley, Peoplemag, 22 Feb. 2024
Verb
In order to become proper Chinese third graders—to go all the way from Heaven to tomb—Natasha and Ariel needed to memorize a total of sixteen hundred characters. Peter Hessler, The New Yorker, 26 June 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'tomb.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English tombe, from Anglo-French tumbe, from Late Latin tumba sepulchral mound, from Greek tymbos; perhaps akin to Latin tumēre to be swollen — more at thumb entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of tomb was in the 13th century

Dictionary Entries Near tomb

Cite this Entry

“Tomb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/tomb. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

tomb

noun
ˈtüm
1
2
: a house or burial chamber for dead people

More from Merriam-Webster on tomb

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