entomb

/ɪnˈtuːm/ (bre, ipa) · /ɪnˈtuːm/ (ame, ipa) · /in-ˈtüm en-/ (ame, mw)

entomb — verb

  • entombpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • entombshe / she / it
  • entombedpast simple
  • entombing-ing form

1. to place a dead person or their remains inside a tomb or burial chamber.

1.動詞及物C1
釋義

to place a dead person or their remains inside a tomb or burial chamber.

例句

Priests entombed the young king in a stone chamber beneath the temple.

entomb + [person] + in [tomb / chamber]

The queen's ashes were entombed beside her husband in the family crypt.

passive: be entombed beside someone

同義詞
  • bury

    the everyday general word for placing a dead body in the ground

  • inter

    formal like 'entomb', but not limited to a tomb or stone chamber

  • inhume

    very formal and rare; usually used in official or literary writing

反義詞
  • exhume

    to dig buried remains out again

文法句型

entomb + [body / remains] + in [tomb / chamber]

be entombed in [tomb / crypt]

用法筆記

Usually refers to placing a body in a built burial place such as a tomb, vault, or crypt. Unlike the everyday verb 'bury', it sounds formal and often appears in historical or ceremonial contexts.

常見錯誤

❌They entombed the farmer in a simple hole behind the barn.
✅They buried the farmer in a simple hole behind the barn.
💡'entomb' implies a tomb, vault, or similar burial structure, not just earth.
❌The workers entombed the old statue in the museum hall.
✅The workers placed the old statue in the museum hall.
💡sense 1 is for a dead body or human remains, not an ordinary object.

2. to cover someone or something so completely that they are trapped or hidden unde

2.動詞及物C2
釋義

to cover someone or something so completely that they are trapped or hidden underneath it.

例句

The avalanche entombed three climbers under deep snow near the summit.

be trapped under heavy material

A fall of rock entombed the tunnel entrance before the rescue team arrived.

entomb + [place] before rescue

同義詞
  • bury

    the most common word for covering something completely under a substance

  • engulf

    focuses on being swallowed up, not necessarily trapped underneath

  • trap

    names the result directly, without the image of being covered over

反義詞
  • free

    to get someone or something out from underneath what trapped it

  • uncover

    to remove what is hiding or covering something

文法句型

be entombed under [snow / rock / ash]

entomb + [place / people] + under [heavy material]

用法筆記

Commonly used for disasters where snow, ash, rock, or debris seals people or places in. Unlike sense 1, the object does not need to be dead, but the image is still extreme and dramatic.

常見錯誤

❌The curtain entombed the window from the afternoon sun.
✅The curtain covered the window from the afternoon sun.
💡'entomb' suggests total burial or trapping, not ordinary covering.
❌Her scarf entombed her neck on the cold train platform.
✅Her scarf wrapped around her neck on the cold train platform.
💡sense 2 is for being sealed under a mass, not for normal clothing.