bier

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 While lying in state, the coffin was placed not on an elevated bier, but facing the pews. Rachel Treisman, NPR, 25 Apr. 2025 Inside the 16th-century basilica, his casket won't be put on an elevated bier—as was the case with past popes—but will just be placed on the main alta, simply facing the pews. Ross Rosenfeld, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 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 But, under the new funeral structure, the pope will be laid directly into an open coffin, eliminating the use of the 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 The Senate may well have all been murdered on Lucilla’s weird, theater-y funeral bier. Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 22 Nov. 2024 Among the changes, the new rites eliminate the practice of placing the pope on an elevated bier in St. Peter's Basilica for public viewing. Matt Robison, Newsweek, 20 Nov. 2024
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bier
Noun
  • His coffin was carried home on the Cotton Belt rail line to Rector, where he is buried.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 25 Apr. 2026
  • Flowers are thrown over the coffin of journalist Amal Khalil, who was killed in an Israeli strike on April 22, 2026, as mourners carry it during her funeral in Baisariyeh, Lebanon, April 23, 2026.
    CBS News, CBS News, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • This includes the importance of gestures such as going to retrieve from the family casket a pin that reproduces the British and American flags together, as well as those that actually fly on the streets of Washington.
    Giorgia Olivieri, Vanity Fair, 28 Apr. 2026
  • The pattern holds across every region of the country, where actual casket burial rates closely match stated first-choice rates, while cremation rates far exceed them.
    Tanya D. Marsh, The Conversation, 24 Apr. 2026
Noun
  • Some audibly gasped and appeared in shock when it was announced that King Charles III and Queen Camilla would shortly be arriving to lay wreaths at the tomb.
    Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2026
  • But in a break with recent precedent, the MOD said no military hardware will roll past Lenin’s tomb this year.
    Nathan Hodge, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026

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Cite this Entry

“Bier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bier. Accessed 1 May. 2026.

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