noun
funeral
FYOO-nuh-ruhl
noun
1
A ceremony held to honor someone who has died, typically with the body present.
"Hundreds of people attended the firefighter's funeral."
"The funeral was held at the church where she had worshipped for forty years."
2
A sermon delivered as part of such a ceremony.
"The priest gave a moving funeral that brought the whole congregation to tears."
How to Use Funeral
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe ceremony held after someone dies, distinct from a memorial service because the body is usually present.
Easily confused with
Common pairings
attend a funeral
funeral service
funeral home
plan a funeral
Word Forms
funerals plural
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Etymology
From Middle French funerailles ("funeral rites"), tracing back to Latin funus ("funeral, death, corpse"). It replaced the older English term līcþeġnung, literally "dead body service."
Rhymes for funeral
feral
general
liberal
lateral
mineral
federal
several
visceral
ephemeral
bilateral
collateral
unilateral
See all rhymes for funeral →