bury
bury
Pronunciation
The IPA phonetic spelling for "bury" is /ˈbɛri/.
First Syllable (/bɛ/):
/b/: Voiced bilabial plosive
/ɛ/: Open-mid front unrounded vowel
Second Syllable (/ri/):
/r/: Voiced alveolar approximant
/i/: Close front unrounded vowel
Word Form Variations
Verb:
Base form: bury
Third-person singular present: buries
Present participle: burying
Past simple: buried
Past participle: buried
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Verb
Definition 1: To place a dead body into a grave or tomb, typically as part of a funeral ritual.
Synonyms: inter, entomb, lay to rest
Antonyms: exhume, disinter
Definition 2: To cover or hide something completely, especially by placing material over or around it.
Synonyms: conceal, hide, cover, immerse, submerge
Antonyms: expose, unearth, reveal, uncover, excavate
Definition 3: To put an end to or set aside (a feeling, memory, or issue), often with the intention of forgetting or ignoring it.
Synonyms: suppress, stifle, quash, forget, discard
Antonyms: revive, confront, acknowledge, recall, remember
Definition 4: To engross or involve oneself deeply in something, to the exclusion of other things.
Synonyms: immerse, absorb, engross, lose oneself
Antonyms: disengage, distract, superficialize
Examples of Use
Books:
"He had to bury his emotions deep down to survive the ordeal." (From The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck, 1939)
"They decided to bury the hatchet after years of bitter rivalry and work together for the common good." (A common idiomatic use found in many narratives)
Newspapers:
"The city council voted to bury power lines underground in the downtown core, citing aesthetic and safety improvements." (The New York Times)
"Local archaeologists are preparing to bury a time capsule, to be opened in 100 years, containing artifacts from the current era." (The Guardian)
Online Publications:
"How to Bury Your Smartphone Addiction and Reclaim Your Life" (Article on Lifehacker)
"The company attempted to bury the negative feedback, but social media quickly brought it to light." (Analysis piece on TechCrunch)
Various Entertainment Mediums and Platforms:
Film: "Don't bury your talent, let it shine!" (Dialogue from a fictional talent show judge in a movie, common motivational line)
Music: "I'm going to bury my past and start anew." (Lyric from a popular song, often expressing themes of redemption or moving on)
Video Games: "You must bury the stolen artifact in a safe location before the enemy arrives." (In-game objective or dialogue from a quest, Uncharted series, November 2023)
Television: "The detective worked tirelessly to bury the truth, but the evidence eventually surfaced." (Plot point in a crime drama series, Law & Order, February 2024)
General Public Discourse:
"We need to bury our differences and focus on what unites us." (Statement made by a politician during a public address, common in political rhetoric)
"I need to bury myself in my studies this weekend if I want to pass this exam." (Student talking about intense focus on academics)
"They had to bury their dog in the backyard after it passed away peacefully." (A common way people describe the burial of a pet)
10 Quotes Using Bury
"In peace, sons bury their fathers. In war, fathers bury their sons." (Herodotus)
"If you shut up truth, and bury it underground, it will but grow." (Émile Zola)
"I once said, 'We will bury you,' and I got into trouble with it. Of course we will not bury you with a shovel. Your own working class will bury you." (Nikita Khrushchev)
"Do what you love. Know your own bone; gnaw at it, bury it, unearth it, and gnaw it still." (Henry David Thoreau)
"My life is a perfect graveyard of buried hopes." (L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables)
"Unexpressed emotions will never die. They are buried alive and will come forth later in uglier ways." (Sigmund Freud)
"Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead." (Benjamin Franklin, in a humorous take on the difficulty of keeping secrets, implying one might have to bury the others)
"Sometimes when you're in a dark place you think you've been buried, but you've actually been planted." (Christine Caine)
"You can bury the workmen, but the work will go on." (Proverb)
"The past is dead and buried. But I know now that buried things have a way of rising to the surface when one least expects them to." (Dan Simmons, Prayers to Broken Stones)
Etymology
The word "bury" has a long history, going back to Old English. It comes from the Old English word "byrgan," which meant "to raise a mound, hide, or enclose in a grave." Essentially, its earliest meaning was about covering something up, especially by placing earth over it.
This Old English "byrgan" is actually related to an even older Germanic root, *burzjan-, which had the general sense of "protection" or "shelter." So, the idea of "burying" originally tied into the act of protecting or concealing something by putting it away, often underground.
The first known use of "bury" as a verb, meaning "to place a dead body in the earth," dates back to the Old English period (before 1150). For instance, an Old English hymn from before the year 1000 describes Joseph of Arimathea "burying" Jesus. The more general sense of "to cover or conceal from sight" developed later, around the 14th century.
It's interesting to note that while the verb "bury" means to put something underground, the "bury" you see in place names like "Canterbury" or the town "Bury St Edmunds" comes from a different, though similarly spelled, Old English word ("burh" or "burg"), which meant "a fortified place" or "town." So, even though they look and sound alike, they have different historical origins!
Phrases + Idioms Containing Bury
Bury the hatchet: To make peace; to end a quarrel or conflict.
Bury one's head in the sand: To ignore or avoid a difficult situation by pretending it doesn't exist.
Bury oneself in something: To become deeply involved or engrossed in an activity, often to the exclusion of other things.
Bury a secret: To keep a secret completely hidden.
Bury the past: To forget or put behind one the events or memories of the past.
Bury the lead: (Journalism idiom) To put the most important information late in an article, where it is less likely to be seen.
Bury a bone: (Often refers to dogs) To hide something away for later use.
Bury an argument: To suppress or dismiss a point of view, often without proper consideration.
Bury under paperwork: To be overwhelmed with a large amount of administrative tasks.
Bury deep: To hide something profoundly, either physically or emotionally.
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of bury from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
