graveyard

Everyday

1. A graveyard is a piece of land, often around a church, where dead people are buried. tree →
2. A graveyard is a place where old, broken or unwanted things are left: «a car graveyard», «an elephant graveyard». tree →
3. «Graveyard shift» means work done late at night until morning (informal). tree →

In the lessons

In history lessons, gravestones in a churchyard graveyard tell us names and ages of people from the past. In church life, Christians bury the dead there with prayers. In spooky stories, graveyards appear at night, though real ones are calm, respectful places. Phrases: «graveyard shift», «in the graveyard», «churchyard».

Examples

• The old church has a graveyard with mossy stones. tree →
• We visited Grandad's grave in the graveyard. tree →
• Please walk quietly and respectfully in a graveyard. tree →
• The ghost story was set in a graveyard at midnight. tree →
• Old aeroplanes are kept in a desert graveyard. tree →
• Nurses on the graveyard shift work all night. tree →
• His road lay in front of a graveyard. tree →

Note

Countable; one word. Similar words: cemetery (a large burial ground, not always by a church), churchyard (the land around a church). Graveyards are places to remember people, so behave with respect.