tomb

tomb — noun

1. a building, room, or underground space made of stone or rock that is built to ho

1.nounB2
Definition

a building, room, or underground space made of stone or rock that is built to hold the body of a dead person, especially someone of high social rank.

Example

The ancient Egyptian rulers were placed in stone tombs filled with treasures.

passive: be placed in + tomb (burial)

Diego's grandmother is buried in a white marble tomb on the hill behind their village.

collocation: be buried in a tomb

Common collocations
  • stone tomb
  • marble tomb
  • royal tomb
  • ancient tomb
  • family tomb
  • sealed tomb
Synonyms
  • grave

    a more general term for any burial site, usually a hole in the ground

  • mausoleum

    a large, impressive above-ground building that contains one or more tombs

  • crypt

    an underground burial room, often beneath a church

  • vault

    a secure underground room for burials, often made of stone or concrete

Usage Note

A tomb is always a built structure (stone, marble, or rock), unlike a 'grave', which can be a simple hole in the ground. The word is more specific and formal than 'grave'.

Common Mistakes

The soldier was buried in a simple tomb in the field.
The soldier was buried in a simple grave in the field.
A 'tomb' is a built stone structure, while a 'grave' is a hole in the ground.
The museum displayed a tomb from the 1600s.' (meaning a coffin or casket)
The museum displayed a coffin from the 1600s.
A 'tomb' is the burial chamber itself, not the container holding the body.

tomb — verb

Word family

  • tombstone
    nounB2
  • entomb
    verbC1
  • entombment
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

All four words refer to places where dead bodies are kept, but they differ in structure and scale. 'Grave' is the most general term — a hole in the ground where a body is buried, marked by a stone or not. 'Tomb' refers specifically to a built structure of stone or marble, whether above ground or underground. A 'mausoleum' is a large, impressive above-ground building that holds one or more tombs. A 'crypt' is an underground burial room, usually beneath a church. For example: 'She visits her grandfather's grave every Sunday'; 'The pharaoh's tomb was carved deep into the rock'; 'The royal family is buried in a mausoleum in the city centre'; 'Ancient coins were found in the crypt beneath the church.'

grave ↗tomb ↗mausoleumcrypt

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • tomb of
  • break into a tomb
  • seal a tomb
  • royal tomb
  • ancient tomb

Prepositions

Etymology

GreekLatinOld FrenchEnglish

The word 'tomb' comes from the Latin word 'tumba', which was borrowed from the Greek word 'tymbos', meaning a burial mound or grave. It entered English through Old French 'tombe' during the Middle English period.