churchyard
gb/t͡ʃˈɚt͡ʃjˌɑɹd/ us/t͡ʃˈɚt͡ʃjˌɑɹd/
B2
English
~ 8100
Senses
0 senses
Noun
B2
entity
1
Ground around a church with graves
The land around a church where people are often buried and where you can see graves or stones.
Usage pattern:
in the [churchyard]
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes use "churchyard" to mean any place around a church, including the car park or garden, but it usually suggests the area with graves and tombstones. Another common confusion is between "churchyard", "graveyard", and "cemetery": all are burial places, but "churchyard" and "graveyard" are typically next to a church, while a "cemetery" may be separate from any church. Also, some learners mistakenly write it as two words ("church yard"); the correct form is one word: "churchyard".
Synonyms
graveyard (Very close in meaning, but a graveyard is often specifically next to a church; in modern use it can sometimes be interchangeable with churchyard.)
|
cemetery (A more general word for a burial ground, not necessarily next to a church building.)
Collocations
old churchyard
|village churchyard
|quiet churchyard
|churchyard wall
|churchyard gate
|buried in the churchyard
Themes
religion
|places
|death
|law
Examples
- They placed fresh flowers on her grave in the churchyard.
- The old churchyard was filled with leaning headstones and tall grass.
- From the window you could see the churchyard stretching down to the river.
- Tourists wandered quietly through the churchyard, reading the names on the stones.
- The path to the front door runs along the edge of the churchyard.
Learner examples
- There is a small churchyard behind the church.
- My grandparents are buried in the churchyard of the village church.
- Children played quietly in the churchyard after the service.
- We walked through the churchyard and looked at the old stones.
- The churchyard is very quiet at night.
Grammar
Dictionary form
churchyard
IPA
GB/t͡ʃˈɚt͡ʃjˌɑɹd/
US/t͡ʃˈɚt͡ʃjˌɑɹd/
Syllables & stress
church - yard (2 syllables)
Stress on 1st syllable (church)
Word forms
Noun
- Base: churchyard
- Plural: churchyards
Word family
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.