tomb
gb/tˈum/ us/tˈum/
B1
English
~ 3600
sír, sírbolt, sírkamra
NOUN
B1
1
Usage pattern:
a tomb for [someone]
Tourists visited the ancient pharaoh's tomb in Egypt.
A turisták meglátogatták az ókori fáraó sírját Egyiptomban.
The archaeologists discovered a hidden tomb under the temple.
A régészek egy rejtett sírkamrát fedeztek fel a templom alatt.
He placed flowers at his grandmother’s tomb.
The royal tomb was guarded day and night.
They built a family tomb on the hillside.
Learner examples
We saw an old tomb in the park.
Láttunk egy régi sírt a parkban.
The king’s tomb is very big.
A király sírja nagyon nagy.
People come to see the famous tomb.
The tomb is made of stone.
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'tomb' with 'tome' (a large book) due to similar spelling. They may also use 'tomb' when 'grave' is more appropriate for a simple burial site.
Meaning
Grave or burial chamber
Collocations
ancient tomb
|royal tomb
|stone tomb
|family tomb
|visit a tomb
Synonyms
grave (Grave is more general and can be simple; tomb often refers to a larger or more elaborate structure.)
|
mausoleum (A mausoleum is a type of large, above-ground tomb, usually grander in scale.)
Antonyms
cradle (Symbolically opposite as it represents birth and beginning rather than death and burial.)
Themes
death
|history
|architecture
|core_vocabulary
|religion
Definition
A special building or place where a dead person is buried.
A large structure, often made of stone, built to hold and mark the burial place of a dead person or people.
Grammar
Dictionary form
tomb
IPA
GB/tˈum/
US/tˈum/
Syllables & stress
tomb (1 syllable)
Stress on 1st syllable (tomb)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: tomb
- Plural: tombs
Word family
Expressions
as silent as the tomb
1/ˈæz sˈaɪlənt ˈæz ðə tˈum/
idiom
Completely silent
Very quiet, with no sound at all.
Examples
- After the guests left, the house was as silent as the tomb.
- The library was as silent as the tomb during exams.
the tomb
1/ðə tˈum/
fixed phrase
literary
Death or burial place
Used to mean death or the place where someone is buried, often in a serious or poetic way.
Examples
- Many poets have written about the silence of the tomb.
- He went to his rest in the tomb.