burke

burke — verb

  • burkepresent simple I / you / we / they
  • burkes3rd person singular
  • burking-ing form
  • burkedpast simple

1. to quietly stop news, criticism, or some other troubling matter from being heard

1.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to quietly stop news, criticism, or some other troubling matter from being heard, discussed, or noticed.

Example

The editor tried to burke the story before the evening paper went out.

burke the story before publication

Officials burked the complaint by filing it under routine office notes.

burke the complaint by + -ing

Common collocations
  • burke the story
  • burke a complaint
  • burke questions
  • burke a warning
Synonyms
  • suppress

    broader and more neutral for stopping something from being expressed

  • hush up

    more strongly suggests a secret cover-up of something embarrassing

  • stifle

    often used for feelings, protests, or growth before they develop

Antonyms
  • reveal

    brings hidden information into the open

  • publicize

    deliberately spreads the news widely

Grammar Patterns

burke + story/report/question

burke + criticism/warning

Usage Note

The object is usually information, criticism, or a problem that someone wants to keep from public attention. Distinguish from sense 2: sense 1 hides or presses something down, while sense 2 is about getting around it.

2. to get around a rule, question, or obstacle instead of dealing with it openly an

2.verbtransitiveC2
Definition

to get around a rule, question, or obstacle instead of dealing with it openly and directly.

Example

Christopher burked the visa question by changing the subject to travel plans.

burke the question by changing the subject

The company burked the tax rule through a deal with two suppliers.

burke the rule through a deal

Common collocations
  • burke the question
  • burke the rule
  • burke the queue
  • burke an obstacle
Synonyms
  • bypass

    neutral and often used for routes, systems, or procedures

  • evade

    stresses avoiding an answer, duty, or responsibility

  • skirt

    suggests staying near the edge of a rule without meeting it directly

Antonyms
  • confront

    faces the problem or question directly

  • address

    deals with the issue openly instead of avoiding it

Grammar Patterns

burke + rule/question/queue

burke + obstacle + by + -ing

Usage Note

The object is usually a rule, question, or practical obstacle that someone tries not to face. Distinguish from sense 1: sense 2 is about avoiding direct engagement, not quietly burying information.

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

For sense 1, burke is closest to suppress, hush up, stifle, and bury, but it is rarer and more literary than all four. Suppress is the broad neutral verb for stopping news, protest, or feeling from being expressed. Hush up strongly suggests a secret cover-up, especially of a scandal. Stifle often focuses on stopping an emotion, movement, or idea before it grows. Bury can suggest pushing a fact or report so far down that people stop noticing it. Burke often combines the ideas of quiet suppression and avoidance, especially with awkward questions, reports, or warnings.

suppress ↗hush up ↗stifle ↗bury ↗

Etymology

English

The verb comes from the name of William Burke, an Irish criminal executed in 1829. His name became a verb because he and his partner killed victims by smothering them so the bodies could be sold for medical dissection. The later figurative senses grew from that idea of silently smothering something or putting it out of the way.

First known use

1835

1835, in the meaning defined at sense 1