Skip to main content
tomb

tomb

227 3.0
A large stone building or underground room where people put a dead person
  • noun
  • /tuːm/
: tumba
  • He wore a spectacular golden breast plate, stolen, it was said, from the tomb of Alexander himself.
  • an empty tomb
  • a saint's tomb
  • a royal tomb

So she's learning about the tombs and the labyrinth.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • There they visit the tomb of a saint who is reputed to have blessings.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The ancient tomb was decorated with intricate carvings and inscriptions.

  • This place is a tomb.

  • Mary had come to the tomb only to find, to her horror, it was empty.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The U.S. has the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to recognize the missing in wars.

    Academic text (2008)
  • This is Newton's tomb in Westminster Abbey.

  • Sometimes, after praying, pilgrims will place their hands upon the tomb and embrace it.

    Academic text (2008)
  • First Julius Caesar and then Augustus would visit Alexander's tomb to pay their respects.

  • Archaeologists uncovered an elaborate tomb containing valuable artifacts.

  • Visitors often come to see the famous tomb of King Tutankhamun in Egypt.

Synonyms

grave
vstomb
641 1.0

A place in the ground where a dead body is buried

is more of a constructed stone or chamber and often more monumental
pyramid
vstomb
142 3.2

A large stone tomb with a square base and four triangular sides

is a more general large stone or underground burial structure, not only royal monuments
crypt
vstomb
41 7.6

An underground room beneath a church used to bury people

is not limited to church settings and can stand alone outdoors
vault
vstomb
35 6.9

An underground room for holding the bodies of several people

is usually for a single body or a smaller constructed space
mausoleum
vstomb
25 7.5

A large building where important people are buried

is often underground or a simpler stone structure rather than a grand building
sepulcher
vstomb
  • Literature
10 9.9

A small stone room where a dead person is buried

is generally larger and more monumental in form
4 6.3

A room under the ground that holds a dead body

is typically larger and often marked with an inscription or monument
burial vault
vstomb
2 7.9

An underground space for burying a coffin that protects it and holds family coffins

focuses more on memorial display or monument rather than physical coffin protection
undercroft
vstomb
  • Archaic
1 9.9

A room under a church used for burials or quiet prayer

is primarily a dedicated large stone or chamber for burial and monument
cist
vstomb
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A grave made of stones used in ancient times to hold human bones

is usually larger or more monumental than these small ancient chambers
portal tomb
vstomb
  • UK
9.9

A large ancient grave made of two standing stones holding a flat stone on top

is broader and can be any carved stone or underground burial place
kist
vstomb
  • Archaic
9.9

A small stone coffin used for ancient burials

is generally much larger and often serves as a public monument

Idioms

Throughout a person's life from birth to death

Compounds

4 7.7

A monument honoring a person whose body is elsewhere or cannot be found

1 7.4

Covers a person's whole life from birth to death

9.9

A large ancient grave made of two standing stones holding a flat stone on top

How Elaborate

mausoleum
25 7.5
tomb
227 3.0
grave
641 1.0

Surface Forms

tomb singular
tombs plural

Etymology

Tomb comes from a Greek word tymbos meaning 'mound' or 'burial place', because long ago people often covered graves with a raised hill of earth or stone. That's why a tomb is a stone building or chamber used for the burial of a dead person.