verb
bury
BEH-ree
verb
1
To place a body in the ground, typically as part of a funeral.
"They buried her grandfather beside the old oak tree."
2
To put something in the ground and cover it over.
"The dog buried its bone in the garden."
3
To hide or suppress a feeling, memory, or fact.
"He tried to bury the memory of that difficult year."
"The scandal was quickly buried by the news cycle."
4
To put an end to something, such as a disagreement.
"The two old rivals agreed to bury the hatchet."
How to Use Bury
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishTo put something in the ground and cover it, or figuratively to hide, suppress, or end something.
Common mistake
The pronunciation doesn't match the spelling — it rhymes with "merry," not "fury"; this is a spelling quirk left over from Old English dialects.
Common pairings
bury the hatchet
bury a body
bury your feelings
bury the truth
Word Forms
buried past tense, buries plural, buries plural, buries singular
Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “bury”
A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage
→
Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
He tried to _____ the memory of that difficult year.
Etymology
From Old English "byrgan," itself from a Proto-Germanic root meaning "to keep safe" — ultimately connected to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning "to protect."