Grave
Definition, Meaning & Examples
Pronunciation /ɡɹeɪv/ · Part of speech noun
Quick meaning: Grave is a noun meaning (strictly) An excavation in the earth as a place of burial.
Meaning
(strictly) An excavation in the earth as a place of burial.
More Meanings
- (loosely) Any place of interment.
- (very loosely) Any place containing one or more corpses.
- (uncountable, by extension) Death, destruction.
- (by extension, uncountable) Deceased people; the dead.
- (transitive, obsolete) To dig.
- (intransitive, obsolete) To carve or cut, as letters or figures, on some hard substance; to engrave.
- (transitive, obsolete) To carve out or give shape to, by cutting with a chisel; to sculpture.
Example Sentences
He had lain in the grave four days.
He hath graven and digged up a pit.
[…]balanced on the biggest wave you race towards an early grave.
a. 1894, Robert Louis Stevenson, "Requiem" This be the verse you grave for me / "Here he lies where he longs to be"
Word Forms
- graves
- graving
- graved
- graven
- graver
- gravest
Synonyms for grave
Depending on context, synonyms include grievous, plot, lot, austere, solemn, sombre.
Antonyms for grave
Common opposites include acute, deep, flat, low-pitched.
Related Words
Related dictionary entries include tomb, sculpture, sculpt, engrave, inscribe, heavy.
Related Dictionary Tools
Practice “grave” in a Crossword
Recall this definition from a clue, use crossing letters, and review the word again when you solve it.
Sources & Attribution
FreeDictionaryAPI.com / Wiktionary · Original source · CC BY-SA 4.0
Dictionary data is provided by FreeDictionaryAPI.com and sourced from Wiktionary under its stated license.