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Meaning of grave in English
Pronunciation
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How to pronounce grave in American English, in context
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How to pronounce grave in British English, in context
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Verb
grave
Etymology
Old English grafan ‘dig’, of Germanic origin; related to German graben, Dutch graven‘dig’ and German begraben‘bury’, also to grave and groove
Definitions
1.
shape (a material like stone or wood) by whittling away at it
Examples
« She is sculpting the block of marble into an image of her husband »
2.
carve, cut, or etch into a material or surface
Examples
« engrave a pen »
« engraved the winner's name onto the trophy cup »
Classifying Adjective
grave
Definitions
1.
dignified and somber in manner or character and committed to keeping promises
Examples
« a grave God-fearing man »
« a quiet sedate nature »
« as sober as a judge »
« a solemn promise »
« the judge was solemn as he pronounced sentence »
Synonyms
serious
2.
causing fear or anxiety by threatening great harm
Examples
« a dangerous operation »
« a grave situation »
« a grave illness »
« grievous bodily harm »
« a serious wound »
« a serious turn of events »
« a severe case of pneumonia »
« a life-threatening disease »
Synonyms
critical
3.
of great gravity or crucial import
Examples
« requiring serious thought »
« grave responsibilities »
« faced a grave decision in a time of crisis »
« a grievous fault »
« heavy matters of state »
« the weighty matters to be discussed at the peace conference »
Synonyms
important
of import
Noun
grave
Etymology
Old English græf, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch graf and German Grab
Definitions
1.
death of a person
Examples
« he went to his grave without forgiving me »
« from cradle to grave »
2.
a place for the burial of a corpse (especially beneath the ground and marked by a tombstone)
Examples
« he put flowers on his mother's grave »
3.
a mark (`) placed above a vowel to indicate pronunciation