# graveyard

/ˈɡɹeɪvˌjɑɹd/ (US) · /ɡɹˈeɪvjɑːd/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/graveyard
Updated: 2026-06-20

## Senses

### 1. burial ground

noun · CEFR B1

a place where dead people are buried, usually next to a church.

For teachers: an area of land, often adjacent to a church, designated for the burial of the dead.

- The old graveyard was filled with tall trees and stone monuments from the 1800s.
- The local historical society maintains the graveyard, ensuring that the weathered headstones remain legible for visiting researchers.

### 2. storage for old things

noun · CEFR B2

a place where old or broken things are kept because they are no longer used.

For teachers: a location used for the permanent storage or disposal of obsolete or decommissioned items.

- The field behind the factory became a graveyard for rusted old trucks.
- Environmental inspectors raised concerns about the aircraft graveyard, noting that hydraulic fluids were leaking from the abandoned fuselages into the soil.

### 3. late-night shift

noun · CEFR B2 · Informal

the time of night when most people are asleep and there is very little activity.

For teachers: the period of late night or early morning, typically between midnight and dawn, characterized by minimal activity.

- Working the graveyard shift can be difficult because it changes your sleep schedule.
- The hospital staff on the graveyard shift must remain vigilant despite the profound silence that settles over the wards after midnight.

Usage: Usually used as an adjective before 'shift'.

### 4. mixed soda drink

noun · CEFR C2 · American English · Slang

a drink made by mixing every available flavor of soda together.

For teachers: a beverage created by combining all available soft drink varieties from a soda fountain.

- The kids at the party thought it was fun to make a graveyard at the soda machine.
- The teenager dared his friends to drink a graveyard, resulting in a sickly sweet concoction of cola, ginger ale, and fruit punch.

Teaching tip: This is a very specific, informal term used mostly by children or teenagers in the US; it is not common in professional or formal settings.

## Examples

- The old graveyard is full of tall trees.
- We walked through the quiet graveyard to visit her grandmother's grave.
- The moonlight cast long shadows across the weathered headstones, turning the silent graveyard into a landscape of memory and loss.

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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.