gravedigger

American  

[greyv-dig-er] / ˈgreɪvˌdɪg ər /

noun

1. a person whose occupation is digging graves.

2. burying beetle.

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Etymology

Origin of gravedigger

First recorded in 1585–95; grave ¹ + digger

Example Sentences

At noon on Sunday, Amotz Bazar, the kibbutz gravedigger, pulled up the driveway to the cemetery in Nir Oz.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 12, 2025

"A gravedigger had to come over and use water from his lunch to clean the gravestone before we could rebury him."

From BBC • Apr. 2, 2024

Kuznetsov never imagined he would be a gravedigger.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 25, 2023

And Frank Diger, the cemetery owner who had employed my Basque grandfather, Bakersfield’s best gravedigger.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 1, 2022

Stooped over in the chair in the corner, Kuna, the gravedigger, flipped listlessly through a well-creased book.

From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros