grave

UK /ɡɹeɪv/ US /ɡɹeɪv/

noun 8verb 6adj 5name 1

Definitions

noun

An excavation in the earth as a place of burial.

He had lain in the grave four days.

Let mee not be ashamed, O Lord, for I haue called vpon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the graue.

Any place of interment.

Any place containing one or more corpses.

Death, destruction.

[…]Meeting is pleasure, parting is a grief; / An inconstant lover is worse than a thief; / A thief can but rob you, and take all you have, / An inconstant lover will bring you to the grave![…]

[…]balanced on the biggest wave you race towards an early grave.

Deceased people; the dead.

"Hold your jaw, woman! I've had enough to vex me to-day without you startin' your tantrums. You're jealous of the grave. That's wot's the matter with you." "And her brats can insult me as they like - me that 'as cared for you these five years."

verb

To dig.

He hath graven and digged up a pit.

To carve or cut, as letters or figures, on some hard substance; to engrave.

Thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel.

Deep lines were graven on her pale forehead, and on her wan, thin cheeks.

To carve out or give shape to, by cutting with a chisel; to sculpture.

to grave an image

To impress deeply (on the mind); to fix indelibly.

O! may they graven in thy heart remain.

To entomb; to bury.

[…]And lie full low, graved in the hollow ground.

adj

Characterised by a dignified sense of seriousness; not cheerful.

[Mercuti] Ask for me tomorrow, and you shall find me a grave man.

Low in pitch, tone etc.

The thicker the cord or string, the more grave is the note or tone.

Serious, in a negative sense; important, formidable.

Israel’s behaviour is doing grave damage to the Palestinian people and to any hope for peace.

Khrushchev made a grave miscalculation when he failed to appreciate the growing opposition to his power and overestimated the support of his bureaucracy.

Dull, produced in the middle or back of the mouth. (See Grave and acute on Wikipedia.Wikipedia)

Influential, important; authoritative.

An illiterate fool sits in a mans seat; and the common people hold him learned, grave, and wise.

Collocations

(noun.)

ADJ

deep, shallow

The archaeologists discovered pottery shards in a deep grave dating back thousands of years.

open

Workers discovered ancient pottery while digging the open grave in the old cemetery.

freshly-dug

unmarked

The soldiers discovered several unmarked graves in the abandoned cemetery during their search.

mass

Archaeologists found evidence of a mass grave from the ancient burial site.

watery

The sailor feared he might meet a watery grave during the terrible storm at sea.

VERB + GRAVE

dig

mark

A small wooden cross marked the grave in the old cemetery.

desecrate

Thieves desecrated several ancient graves while searching for valuable artifacts.

PREP

beyond the ~

The famous author's ideas continue to inspire readers from beyond the grave.

in a/the ~

When my grandmother passed away, we buried her in the grave next to my grandfather.

on a/the ~

My grandfather visits his parents' grave on Memorial Day to pay his respects.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

noun — a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the g

tomb

verb — carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface

verb — shape (a material like stone or wood) by whittling away at i

adjective — causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm

dangerous
grievous
serious
severe
life-threatening

adjective — of great gravity or crucial import

adjective — dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to

Antonyms

Idioms & Phrases

turn in one's grave

To be appalled, offended or disgusted by something, despite being deceased.

Beethoven is probably turning in his grave at the way that rock group mangled his Ninth Symphony.

take to the grave

To never reveal (a secret).

Houdini took his secrets to the grave, as he died shortly after performing one of his most famous escapes.

dig one's own grave

To behave in a way that is likely to cause one to lose or fail, including, but not limited to, result in death.

silent as the grave

Saying absolutely nothing (especially about a particular subject).

The investigation is ongoing, but all the suspects have been silent as the grave so far.

dance on someone's grave

To celebrate a person's death or downfall triumphantly.

This is all aside from my personal disgust at the idea that we should spare any thought for those who would kill us. No one is suggesting dancing on their graves, but neither shoul

Example Bank

He had lain in the grave four days.

Wiktionary

Let mee not be ashamed, O Lord, for I haue called vpon thee: let the wicked be ashamed, and let them be silent in the graue.

Wiktionary

They reached the cemetery. The men went right down to a place in the grass where a grave was dug. They ranged themselves all round; and while the priest spoke, the red soil thrown up at the sides kept

Wiktionary

He hath graven and digged up a pit.

Wiktionary

Thou shalt take two onyx stones, and grave on them the names of the children of Israel.

Wiktionary

Deep lines were graven on her pale forehead, and on her wan, thin cheeks.

Wiktionary

Usage Notes

i Register

In some senses, grave is marked as obsolete, dated, historical. Watch for register when choosing this word.

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