# grave

/ˈɡɹeɪv/ (US)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/grave
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. burial place

noun · CEFR B1

a hole in the ground where a dead person is buried.

For teachers: an excavation in the earth for the purpose of burial; by extension, any place of interment.

- They visited the cemetery to place fresh flowers on their grandfather's grave.
- The archaeologists discovered an unmarked grave containing several artefacts that suggested the occupant was a person of high social standing.

### 2. accent mark

noun · CEFR C1 · Technical

a small mark (`) placed over a letter in some languages like French.

For teachers: a diacritical mark (`) used in various languages to indicate vowel quality, pitch, or stress.

- In the French word 'père', there is a grave accent over the first 'e'.
- The student struggled to distinguish between the acute and grave accents when transcribing the phonetic nuances of the dialect.

### 3. serious or worrying

adjective · CEFR B2

very serious and important, often in a way that causes worry.

For teachers: characterised by a dignified sense of seriousness; involving important or life-threatening consequences.

- The doctor had a grave expression on his face as he told us the news.
- The diplomatic situation reached a grave turning point when the ceasefire was violated for the third time in a week.

### 4. low in pitch

adjective · CEFR C2 · Technical · Formal

describing a sound that is low and deep.

For teachers: referring to a sound or musical tone that is low in pitch.

- The organ produced a grave, booming sound that shook the floor.
- The composer specified a grave tempo and register for the opening movement to evoke a sense of solemnity.

### 5. to engrave

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Literary

to carve or cut words or pictures into a hard surface.

For teachers: to carve, cut, or engrave letters or figures into a hard substance; often used figuratively for fixing something in the mind.

- The craftsman began to grave the king's name into the stone monument.
- The tragic events of that winter were graven deeply into the memories of all who survived the famine.

### 6. to clean a ship

verb · CEFR C2 · Archaic · Technical

to clean the bottom of a boat to remove shells and plants.

For teachers: to clean a vessel's bottom of barnacles and grass before coating it with pitch.

- The sailors had to grave the ship's hull before the long journey home.
- The vessel was brought into the dry dock so the crew could grave the hull and apply a fresh layer of protective pitch.

## Examples

- She placed fresh flowers on her grandfather's grave.
- The old cemetery contains many unmarked graves dating back to the early nineteenth century.
- The poet reflects on the inevitability of the grave, suggesting that worldly achievements offer little comfort when one finally faces the silence of eternity.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.