bier

noun

ˈbir How to pronounce bier (audio)
Definition of biernext
as in coffin
a boxlike container for holding a dead body lifted the bier from its stand and placed it in the hearse for its final journey

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of bier The coffin was unveiled late on Thursday to a throng of sobbing supporters, who were swaying and beating their heads in time to a sung lament as flowers were thrown from the bier into the crowd. — Reuters, USA Today, 4 July 2026 North Korean leader Kim Jong Un visited the bier of Kim Yong Nam on Tuesday to express condolences, and the funeral is scheduled for Thursday. — Hollie Silverman, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Nov. 2025 While lying in state, the coffin was placed not on an elevated bier, but facing the pews. — Rachel Treisman, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025 Last year, Francis approved new funeral rites stating his body should be on view in a simple coffin rather than being placed on an elevated bier, per the Associated Press. — Kirsty Hatcher, People.com, 22 Apr. 2025 In the past, the pope's body would be displayed on an elevated frame known as a bier. — Alec Schemmel, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2025 The German microbrewery/restaurant has installed new TVs in its bier hall and at the bar for your viewing pleasure. — Sam Allard, Axios, 7 Feb. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bier
  1. coffin
  2. casket
  3. tomb
Noun
  • Essentially, both cremation and coffin-burial practices are pretty bad for the environment.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Chicago extinguished New England's last-minute comeback bid courtesy of exceptional clock management by coach Johnson and a nail-in-the-coffin, career-best 58-yard field goal from Cairo Santos.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of coffin
Noun
  • Prompted by Nan’s lament about their father’s empty casket and his own desire for posthumous reconciliation, Jay sets out to find his dad’s underwater remains near the edge of the canyon at Monastery Beach.
    — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 20 Oct. 2026
  • Milwaukee has reduced it to a team on fumes, with a chance to lower the casket Thursday night in Game 4.
    — Alejandro Avila OutKick, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026
Definition of casket
Noun
  • This incredible necropolis is home to the tombs of the pharaohs and is a testament to the advanced engineering and architectural skills of the ancient Egyptians.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 22 Oct. 2026
  • The historic Winter Palace hotel, where Howard Carter announced the discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, is due to reopen in July as the Mandarin Oriental Winter Palace.
    — Maureen O'Hare, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of tomb

Browse Nearby Words

bids fair
bier
biers
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Cite this Entry

“Bier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bier. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

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