unbury

Definition

1. Verb:
   • To dig up or exhume: "unbury" means to remove something that has been buried, typically a corpse or an object, from the ground.
   • To uncover or reveal: In a figurative sense, "unbury" can mean to bring something hidden or forgotten back to light, such as a secret or a memory.

Usage Examples

• Verb:
  • The archaeologists decided to unbury the ancient tomb to study its contents. (They dug up the buried tomb from the ground.)
  • She tried to unbury the old photograph from the bottom of the box. (She removed the photograph that was buried under other items.)
  • The investigation helped unbury the truth about the company's past. (It revealed a hidden fact that had been concealed.)

Advanced Usage

• "to unbury the hatchet": a less common variant of "bury the hatchet," meaning to revive a conflict or disagreement that had been settled. (Note: This is a rare, ironic usage; typically "bury the hatchet" means to make peace.)
  • He decided to unbury the hatchet and reopen the old argument. (He brought up a previously settled dispute again.)

Variants and Related Words

• Unburied (adj): not having been buried; left above ground.

  • The unburied bones lay scattered on the field. (The bones were not placed in a grave.)

• Unburying (noun): the act of digging up or revealing something.

  • The unburying of the statue took several hours. (The process of digging it up.)

Synonyms

• Exhume: to dig up a buried body, especially for legal or scientific reasons.
• Disinter: to remove a corpse from a grave; a formal synonym for "exhume."
• Unearth: to dig up or discover something hidden, often used for artifacts or secrets.
• Reveal: to make known something that was hidden.

Phrasal Verbs

Related Idioms

• Let sleeping dogs lie: to avoid reviving an old problem or conflict. (This is the opposite of "unbury" in a figurative sense.)
  • He warned her not to unbury the old argument, advising her to let sleeping dogs lie. (He told her to leave the settled matter alone.)