grave
Adjective:
- Serious and solemn: Having a dignified, somber, or earnest character or manner.
- Severe or critical: Of great importance, seriousness, or concern; threatening a very bad outcome.
Noun:
- A burial place: A place where a dead body is buried, typically marked by a tombstone or monument.
- A mark in writing: A mark (`) placed over a vowel in some languages to indicate pronunciation (also called an accent grave).
Verb (archaic):
- To carve or engrave: To cut or shape a hard material like stone or wood, often to create an inscription or image.
Adjective:
- The doctor's face was grave as he delivered the news. (The doctor's expression was very serious.)
- The country is facing a grave economic crisis. (The crisis is severe and critical.)
- He spoke in a grave tone about the consequences. (His tone of voice was solemn and earnest.)
Noun (burial place):
- They visited their grandfather's grave every year. (They visited the place where he was buried.)
- The ancient grave contained many artifacts. (The old burial site held historical objects.)
Noun (linguistic mark):
- In French, the letter "è" has a grave accent. (The mark over the "e" is called a grave.)
Verb (archaic):
- The words were graven in stone. (The words were carved or engraved into the stone.)
"To make someone turn in their grave" (idiom): To do something that would have deeply upset or offended a person who is now dead.
- His reckless actions would make his frugal father turn in his grave.
"From the cradle to the grave" (idiom): From birth until death; throughout a person's entire life.
- The welfare system aimed to support citizens from the cradle to the grave.
"A grave error/mistake": A very serious or fundamental error.
- Underestimating the opponent was a grave error.
"Secret as the grave" (idiom): Completely secret; never to be revealed.
- She promised to keep the information secret as the grave.
Gravely (adverb): In a serious or solemn manner.
- He nodded gravely in agreement.
Gravity (noun): Extreme or alarming importance; seriousness.
- She understood the gravity of the situation.
Engrave (verb): To cut or carve a design or inscription into a hard surface. (This is the more common modern verb form related to the archaic "grave").
- They will engrave her name on the trophy.
- Adjective: Serious, solemn, severe, critical, weighty, grievous, somber, sober.
- Noun (burial): Tomb, burial site, sepulcher, crypt, resting place.
- Noun (accent): Accent grave.
- Adjective: Frivolous, lighthearted, trivial, unimportant, cheerful.
"To have one foot in the grave": To be very old, ill, or close to death.
- At 95, he joked that he had one foot in the grave.
"A watery grave": Death by drowning; burial at sea.
- The shipwreck sent many sailors to a watery grave.
"To dig one's own grave": To do something that causes one's own failure or ruin.
- By ignoring the warnings, he was digging his own grave.
- of great gravity or crucial import; requiring serious thought
- grave responsibilities
- faced a grave decision in a time of crisis
- a grievous fault
- heavy matters of state
- the weighty matters to be discussed at the peace conference
- causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm
- a dangerous operation
- a grave situation
- a grave illness
- grievous bodily harm
- a serious wound
- a serious turn of events
- a severe case of pneumonia
- a life-threatening disease
- dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
- a grave God-fearing man
- a quiet sedate nature
- as sober as a judge
- a solemn promise
- the judge was solemn as he pronounced sentence
- a mark (`) placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation
- a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)
- he put flowers on his mother's grave
- death of a person
- he went to his grave without forgiving me
- from cradle to grave
- carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface
- engrave a pen
- engraved the trophy cupt with the winner's
- the lovers scratched their names into the bark of the tree
- shape (a material like stone or wood) by whittling away at it
- She is sculpting the block of marble into an image of her husband