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Glite Dictionary
😶 To smother 🤫 To suppress quietly
to burke

to burke

9.9
To kill someone quietly so there are no visible marks
  • verb
  • /bɜrk/
  • Offensive
translation icon : asfixiar
  • The criminal attempted to burke his victim to avoid leaving any evidence behind.

Examples

  • Some historians believe the gang would burke unsuspecting lodgers in their sleep.

  • It's a grim story about two men who set out to burke people for profit.

  • She was burked in the dark alley.

  • Did they really burke him?

  • The detective suspected that the criminal planned to burke his rival to prevent any witnesses from emerging.

  • In their dark activities, the gang would burke their victims quietly, ensuring no one would find out.

  • She feared that if they intended to burke him, it would be done when he least expected it.

Synonyms

to remove
vsto burke
  • Offensive
58 9.9

To kill someone on purpose, usually by a criminal group

focuses on a suffocating method that leaves no visible signs of violence
to bump off
vsto burke
  • Offensive
5 9.3

To kill someone on purpose, usually secretly and as part of a crime

focuses on a method that suffocates and leaves no visible marks

Antonyms

to protect
∞ 1.0

To keep someone or something safe from harm

to save
∞ 1.0

Rescue someone or something from danger

Surface Forms

burke infinitive
burked past
burked past participle
burking present participle
burkes third person singular

Etymology

Burke comes from the name of William Burke, a 19th-century criminal who smothered people so their bodies showed no marks. So to burke someone is to kill them by 'smothering' or in a way that leaves no visible sign.