tomb

1 of 2

noun

ˈtüm 

1

a

: an excavation in which a corpse is buried : grave

b

: a place of interment

2

: a house, chamber, or vault for the dead

3

: a building or structure resembling a tomb (as in appearance)

tombless

ˈtüm-ləs 

adjective

tomb

2 of 2

verb

tombed; tombing; tombs

transitive verb

: bury, entomb

Synonyms of tomb

Noun

• burial
• grave
• cemetery
• sepulchre

Verb

• bury
• inter

Examples of tomb in a Sentence

Noun

the tomb of Alexander the Great

explored the historic graveyard and saw tombs that dated back two centuries

Verb

Forest Lawn is where many of Tinseltown's immortals are tombed for all eternity.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Our work re-imagines these ancient tombs as theatrical spaces, built to perpetuate a form of metaphysical human experience. — Jacqueline Ortoleva, Scientific American, 3 Oct. 2026

That could mean exploring Andalusia, traveling through Morocco, visiting Tunisia's Roman sites or combining Egypt's temples and tombs with the eclipse. — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 3 Oct. 2026

On an autumn day in 1860, a bearded British man visited George Washington’s tomb at his final resting place in Virginia. — Nicky Robertson, CNN Money, 1 Oct. 2026

Nearby was the city’s Jewish graveyard, where the tombs are laid out around a steep flight of steps. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English tombe, from Anglo-French tumbe, from Late Latin tumba sepulchral mound, from Greek tymbos; perhaps akin to Latin tumēre to be swollen — more at thumb entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

13th century, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for tomb

• blume
• boom
• broom
• doom
• flume
• fume
• gloom
• glume
• groom
• loom
• plume
• rheum

Kids Definition

tomb

noun

ˈtüm

1

: grave entry 2 sense 1

2

: a house or burial chamber for dead people