bier

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 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 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
  • Young people danced around the coffin while waving a Kenyan flag.
    Nicholas Komu, Los Angeles Times, 11 July 2025
  • In the early 19th century, the body and coffins were acquired by the brothers Robert and William Garnett.
    Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 July 2025
Noun
  • It was followed by a video of casket being lowered into the ground.
    Escher Walcott, People.com, 14 July 2025
  • That means planning practices for the flag and casket teams for the July 11 funeral and standing guard by Corder's body.
    David Clarey, jsonline.com, 11 July 2025
Noun
  • This is the third tomb found at Caracol that dates back to around A.D. 350.
    Kerry Breen July 10, CBS News, 10 July 2025
  • Discovered in 1902, his bones were sealed inside a ceramic vessel placed in a rock-cut tomb in Nuwayrat, an archaeological site located about 170 miles south of Cairo.
    Sonja Anderson, Smithsonian Magazine, 7 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Bier.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bier. Accessed 21 Jul. 2025.

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