funeral

funeral — noun

1. An event, often with religious elements, that is held to honour and say goodbye

1.nounA2
Definition

An event, often with religious elements, that is held to honour and say goodbye to a person who has died. The body of the dead person is then either placed in a grave in the ground or turned into ash by burning.

Example

Élise's grandmother had a small funeral with only close family members present.

have/attend a funeral — common verb collocations

More than two hundred people came to Adina's funeral to pay their last respects.

come to [someone's] funeral

Common collocations
  • hold a funeral
  • attend a funeral
  • funeral for
  • at a funeral
  • funeral of
Synonyms
  • burial

    focuses specifically on putting the body into the ground, rather than the full ceremony

  • cremation

    refers to the act of burning the body, not the ceremony itself

  • memorial service

    a ceremony held to remember someone after their death, but without the body present

Usage Note

A funeral is different from a memorial service because the body of the dead person is present at a funeral.

Common Mistakes

I went to his memorial service.' (when the body was present and buried).
I went to his funeral.
'memorial service' is held without the body present; 'funeral' is the event with the body.
We held a funeral party for her.
We held a funeral for her.
'funeral' already refers to the ceremony; adding 'party' is confusing.

2. An informal fixed phrase said to someone who is about to make a choice you think

2.nounB2
Definition

An informal fixed phrase said to someone who is about to make a choice you think is unwise. It means that the bad outcome will be their problem to face, and you have stopped trying to talk them out of it.

Example

If you want to spend all your savings on a sports car, it's your funeral.

fixed phrase: it's [possessive] funeral

Imran told his brother he was making a huge mistake, but his brother just shrugged and said, 'It's my funeral.'

Synonyms

Usage Note

Only used in the fixed structure "it's [possessive determiner] funeral." The possessive must match the subject of the warning (your, my, his, her, our, their). Never used literally to mean an actual death ceremony.

Common Mistakes

It's a funeral.' (trying to say the idiom but using the wrong determiner).
It's your funeral.
the determiner must match the person being warned.
It's your death.' (confusing with a literal expression about dying).
It's your funeral.
the idiom is fixed and does not change.
Idioms

it’s your funeral

idiom

This phrase warns someone that they must accept the bad results of their own choice.

If you skip the meeting, it's your funeral.

Maya said, "Go ahead and quit your job — it's your funeral."

funeral — adjective

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A funeral is the full ceremony that takes place, usually with the body present, before burial or cremation. A burial specifically refers to the moment of putting the body into the ground — it is one part of a funeral. A memorial service is held after the body has already been buried or cremated, so the body is not present. A wake is a gathering held before the funeral where friends and family can see the body and offer condolences. For example: 'The funeral was held at the church, but the burial took place at the cemetery afterwards.' 'We held a memorial service for Marta a month after the cremation.'

funeral ↗burial ↗memorial servicewake ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • hold a funeral
  • attend a funeral
  • go to a funeral
  • funeral for someone

Prepositions

Etymology

LatinFrenchEnglish

The word 'funeral' comes from the Latin word 'funus', which meant a death or a funeral. It passed into Old French as 'funeralle', and then into Middle English around the 1300s. The adjective form also came from French 'funeral' meaning 'pertaining to a funeral'. Over time, the word developed its fixed idiomatic use ('it's your funeral') in the mid-1900s.