Definition

1. Verb:
   • To place in a tomb or grave; to bury: The primary meaning of "entomb" is the act of interring a dead body, typically within a structure like a tomb, mausoleum, or grave.
   • To serve as a tomb for: In a more figurative or descriptive sense, it can mean to contain or hold as if in a tomb.

Usage and Examples

• Verb:
  • The ancient kings were entombed with their treasures. (This describes the physical act of placing the bodies in a tomb.)
  • The fallen city was entombed in volcanic ash for centuries. (This uses the word figuratively to describe something being trapped or enclosed as if in a tomb.)
  • They chose to entomb the remains in the family crypt.

Advanced Usage

• "to be entombed in": This common construction describes the state of being buried or trapped within something.
  • The miners were tragically entombed in the collapsed tunnel.
  • Fossils are often found entombed in layers of rock.

Variants and Related Words

• Entombment (n): The act or ceremony of placing a body in a tomb.
  • The entombment took place in a private ceremony.

Synonyms

• Inter: To place in a grave or tomb; a formal synonym.
• Bury: The most common general synonym for placing a body underground.
• Inhume: A formal, less common term meaning to bury.

Antonyms

• Exhume: To dig out (something buried, especially a corpse) from the ground.
• Disinter: A synonym for exhume.

Related Phrases and Figurative Use

• While "entomb" itself is not typically part of phrasal verbs, its figurative use is strong. It often describes something being completely enclosed, hidden, or preserved.
  • Her secrets were entombed in her diary.
  • The old ship lies entombed at the bottom of the sea.

Verb

1. place in a grave or tomb
   • Stalin was buried behind the Kremlin wall on Red Square
   • The pharaohs were entombed in the pyramids
   • My grandfather was laid to rest last Sunday