funeral

1 of 2

adjective

fu·​ner·​al ˈfyün-rəl How to pronounce funeral (audio)
ˈfyü-nə-
1
: of, relating to, or constituting a funeral
2

funeral

2 of 2

noun

1
: the observances held for a dead person usually before burial or cremation
2
chiefly dialectal : a funeral sermon
3
: a funeral procession
4
: an end of something's existence
5
: a matter of concern to one : worry
if you flunk, it's your funeral

Examples of funeral in a Sentence

Adjective a slow and heavy funeral song Noun Only family attended the funeral. His funeral will be held on Friday. His cousin made the funeral arrangements.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Thousands of items are lost across the city's sprawling transport network every month, including all manner of more common things such a funeral urns, a welder's mask and a blender. Patrick Smith, NBC News, 20 Feb. 2024 Since the funeral Mass where mourners said their last goodbyes. Georgea Kovanis, Detroit Free Press, 11 Feb. 2024 The campaign involved sending anonymous and disturbing deliveries to the victims’ home, including a book on surviving the death of a spouse, a bloody pig mask, a fetal pig and a funeral wreath as well as live spiders and cockroaches, according to the charging document. Nicole Acosta, Peoplemag, 12 Jan. 2024 The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office announced on Facebook there will be a funeral procession for Leonard on Tuesday. Rebekah Riess, CNN, 19 Feb. 2024 But Gotto said she – and her father, Dave, – were unprepared for all that came with tying up everything from funeral arrangements to his financial affairs. USA TODAY, 18 Feb. 2024 Maliciously or willfully disturbing a funeral, memorial service, procession or burial ceremony. Threatening, quarreling or challenging to fight someone, or fighting. Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 10 Feb. 2024 Mourners held funeral prayers for Samer Abu Daqqa, a Palestinian journalist working for broadcaster Al Jazeera who was killed Friday in an Israeli strike. Julia Frankel, arkansasonline.com, 17 Dec. 2023 This moment from the book is a breath of comedic relief for readers as fictional characters Celie, outspoken Sofia and her husband Harpo make funeral arrangements for Sofia’s mother. Briana A. Thomas, Smithsonian Magazine, 22 Dec. 2023
Noun
Drivers should anticipate delays on Friday if traveling in the area of the funeral services and the procession. Robert A. Cronkleton, Kansas City Star, 7 Mar. 2024 The film trilogy narrates the story of The Pasti Family, a Roman family who work in the funeral business. Emiliano De Pablos, Variety, 5 Mar. 2024 Mandarina was buried with honors in his hometown, hundreds lining the streets to say goodbye as bullfighters and bands marched in the funeral procession. Toby Muse, Rolling Stone, 3 Mar. 2024 Even without the power of television, Mr. Navalny managed to make a name for himself in Russia using the internet — and that continued to be the way millions of Russians followed news of his death and funeral. Oleg Matsnev, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Members of the teen's wrestling team will fly into Montana to join Kilman's family for a funeral service next week, Byrd said. Christina Coulter, Fox News, 3 Mar. 2024 Maynes describes a heavy security presence near the site where the funeral is reported to take place. Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 1 Mar. 2024 With Frank Sinatra's ''My Way' blaring in the background, Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was buried Friday after thousands of defiant mourners gathered for his funeral in Moscow. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY, 1 Mar. 2024 Metzger’s own funeral is, of course, already planned out. Sophia Liang, The Courier-Journal, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'funeral.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English, from Late Latin funeralis, from Latin funer-, funus funeral (noun)

Noun

Middle English funerelles (plural), from Middle French funerailles (plural), from Medieval Latin funeralia (plural), from Late Latin, neuter plural of funeralis, adjective

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

circa 1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of funeral was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near funeral

Cite this Entry

“Funeral.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/funeral. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

funeral

noun
fu·​ner·​al
ˈfyün-(ə-)rəl
: the ceremonies held for a dead person (as before burial)
funeral adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on funeral

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