bury
/ˈberi/ (bre, ipa) · [bˈɛri] /ˈberi/ (ame, ipa) · [bˈɛri] /ˈber-ē ˈbe-rē also ˈbər-/ (ame, mw)
bury — verb
- burypresent simple I / you / we / they
- burieshe / she / it
- buriedpast simple
- burying-ing form
1. to put a person or animal that has died into the ground and cover them with soil
to put a person or animal that has died into the ground and cover them with soil, typically during a funeral ceremony
Aunt Rosa was buried beside her husband in the village churchyard.
passive: was buried + location
The Watanabe family gathered to bury their grandfather after the funeral service.
Many soldiers who died in the battle were buried in a mass grave.
Grandma Chen asked that her ashes be buried under the old oak tree in her garden.
Sofia buried her grandmother last winter after a long battle with illness.
No parent should ever have to bury their own child — it is the deepest sorrow.
Omar has buried three close friends in the past two years, each loss devastating him.
Mrs. Ito buried her husband of fifty years and then moved to a smaller apartment alone.
- inter
more formal, used in official or religious contexts
- lay to rest
euphemistic, gentler tone used in obituaries and condolences
- exhume
to dig up a buried body, opposite action
文法句型
bury + person/animal
be buried + preposition (in/at/under)
用法筆記
Frequently used in the passive voice (was buried / were buried) because the focus is on the deceased person rather than the person performing the burial. This sense also covers the bereavement reading — when you say you 'buried' a close relative or friend, you mean they died and you experienced the loss, with the funeral as part of that experience.
2. to dig a hole, place an object inside it, and then cover it with soil or other m
to dig a hole, place an object inside it, and then cover it with soil or other material so that it is hidden or stored
The pirates buried a chest of gold coins on the small island near the coast.
bury + object + on/in + location
Mia buried the pumpkin seeds in the flowerpot and watered them every morning.
The family dog buried its favourite bone under the rose bush in the backyard.
The children buried a time capsule under the school playground for future generations.
- hide
more general — can mean placing anywhere out of sight, not specifically in the ground
文法句型
bury + object
bury + object + in/under + location
3. to cover a person or object entirely under a deep layer of material such as snow
to cover a person or object entirely under a deep layer of material such as snow, mud, or rocks so that it is hidden from sight
The whole village was buried under a thick layer of volcanic ash after the eruption.
passive: be buried under + substance
Several cars were buried by mud and rocks when the hillside collapsed during the storm.
The tiny mountain cottage was almost completely buried by the heavy snowfall.
Ling's hands were buried in flour as she knelt and worked the bread dough.
文法句型
be buried + under/by/in + substance
用法筆記
This sense is almost always passive (be/get buried) when referring to people or objects being covered. The active form (Snow buried the village) is possible but less common.
常見錯誤
4. to hide something by placing it in a spot where it is very unlikely to be seen o
to hide something by placing it in a spot where it is very unlikely to be seen or found, or by covering it up fully so it disappears from view — for example, hiding a letter in a drawer or covering a face with one's hands. Unlike 'embed deeply' (sense 8), this sense focuses on making something invisible or hard to find, not on pressing it into a surface.
The old love letters had been buried at the very bottom of a dusty drawer for years.
buried + location (hidden placement)
Elena buried the ancient key under a loose floorboard where nobody would ever look.
bury + object + under location (hiding from view)
Aisha found the short announcement buried deep in the business section of the newspaper.
Diego buried the birthday gift deep inside his closet so his little sister would not find it.
文法句型
bury + object + in/under/behind + location
bury + face/head + in + something
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 5 (CONCEAL TRUTH): sense 4 is about physical hiding of objects (keys, face, treasures) while sense 5 is about hiding information or facts. Distinguish from sense 8 (EMBED DEEPLY): sense 4 focuses on making something invisible or hard to access; sense 8 focuses on pressing or fixing something into a surface. 'Bury one's face in one's hands' is a fixed expression of distress or shame that straddles both senses.
5. to make a deliberate effort to stop the truth about an event or situation from b
to make a deliberate effort to stop the truth about an event or situation from becoming known to the public
The company tried to bury a report that revealed serious safety problems in its factories.
bury + report/truth/news (objects about information)
Politicians often bury bad news by releasing it late on a Friday before a holiday weekend.
Dr. Nakamura felt that the committee was trying to bury the findings of the investigation.
The government was accused of trying to bury evidence related to the financial scandal.
文法句型
bury + truth/facts/news/evidence
bury + something + in/among + document
用法筆記
The object in this sense is always information or something that conveys information: a report, evidence, the truth, bad news, findings. It implies an intentional act of suppression, not a mere accident.
常見錯誤
6. to try to ignore or not think about an unpleasant experience, memory, problem, o
to try to ignore or not think about an unpleasant experience, memory, problem, or emotion, by pushing it out of your conscious mind.
After the divorce, Camille buried her sadness and focused on her job.
bury + sadness after a life event
Theo tried to bury the memory of the accident, but it returned in his dreams.
bury + memory of [event]
The Watanabe family buried their grief and held a cheerful funeral.
Faisal could no longer bury his anger after the unfair decision.
Instead of burying the problem, Adina decided to talk about it with her parents.
文法句型
bury + noun phrase
用法筆記
The object is usually an unpleasant inner experience (sadness, anger, grief, a memory) rather than a physical object or an external fact.
常見錯誤
7. to score a goal by hitting or kicking the ball with great force into the net, es
to score a goal by hitting or kicking the ball with great force into the net, especially in football or hockey.
Aylin received a perfect pass and buried the ball in the back of the net.
bury the ball in the back of the net
In the final minute, Hiro buried a powerful shot past the goalkeeper.
The striker buried the ball into the top corner from twenty yards out.
Rodrigo tried to bury the ball, but his shot went wide of the post.
文法句型
bury + the ball + in/into + noun phrase
用法筆記
Used only in sports commentary or casual sports conversation. The subject is a player, and the object is always the ball or a shot.
8. to press, push, or fix something deeply into a surface or substance so that it i
to press, push, or fix something deeply into a surface or substance so that it is partly or fully surrounded by that material — for example, sinking an axe blade into wood or pushing hands deep into pockets. Unlike 'hide from view' (sense 4), this sense does not emphasise concealment; the focus is on the force or depth of the fixing action, even when the object remains visible.
The carpenter buried the chisel blade deep into the oak timber with a single sharp blow.
bury + [tool] deep into [material] — embedding, not hiding
The woodcutter buried the axe blade deep into the log.
bury + [tool] deep into [material]
Nikos buried his hands in his coat pockets to keep them warm.
The kitten dug its claws into the cushion and buried them deep in the fabric.
Niran buried the garden fork into the soil and turned it over.
- extract
to pull something out of where it was fixed
文法句型
bury + noun phrase + in/into + noun phrase
用法筆記
Frequently combined with a prepositional phrase beginning with 'in' or 'into' that specifies where the object is placed.