bury

views updated May 18 2018

bur·y / ˈberē/ • v. (bur·ies, bur·ied) [tr.] put or hide under ground: he buried the box in the back garden [as adj.] (buried) buried treasure. ∎  (usu. be buried) place (a dead body) in the earth, in a tomb, or in the sea, typically with funeral rites: he was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. ∎ fig. lose (someone, typically a relative) through death: she buried her sixty-year-old husband. ∎  completely cover; cause to disappear or become inconspicuous: the countryside has been buried under layers of concrete. ∎  move or put out of sight: she buried her face in her hands. ∎ fig. deliberately forget; conceal from oneself: they had buried their feelings of embarrassment and fear. ∎  overwhelm (an opponent) beyond hope of recovery: he boasted that socialism would bury capitalism. ∎  (bury oneself) involve oneself deeply in something to the exclusion of other concerns: he buried himself in work.PHRASES: bury the hatchet end a quarrel or conflict and become friendly.bury one's head in the sand ignore unpleasant realities.

bury

views updated May 29 2018

bury bury one's head in the sand ignore unpleasant realities; the expression alludes to the traditional belief that the ostrich if pursued would bury its head in the sand, through incapacity to distinguish between seeing and being seen.
bury the hatchet end a quarrel or conflict and become friendly; the allusion is to an American Indian custom of burying a hatchet or tomahawk to mark the conclusion of a peace treaty.

bury

views updated May 09 2018

bury OE. byrġan :- WGmc. *burzjan (cf. BURIAL), f. *burz- *berz-, base of OE. beorgan shelter, protect (see BOROUGH).

Bury

views updated Jun 11 2018

Bury

a burrow of conies; rabbits collectively.