potter's field

as in cemetery
a piece of land used for burying the dead criminals and unidentified people are sometimes buried in a potter's field

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 potter's field Lies explained that the field was Milwaukee's first potter's field ― a cemetery for poor, unclaimed and unknown people ― and was in use through the mid-1800s. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024 According to a 1951 Milwaukee Journal article, the potter's field was the burial site of many victims of the city's 1849-1850 cholera epidemic, which was estimated to have killed as many as 700 of the city's then-20,000 residents. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024 Lies explained that the field was Milwaukee's first potter's field ― a cemetery for poor, unclaimed and unknown people ― and was in use through the mid-1800s. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024 According to a 1951 Milwaukee Journal article, the potter's field was the burial site of many victims of the city's 1849-1850 cholera epidemic, which was estimated to have killed as many as 700 of the city's then-20,000 residents. Claire Reid, Journal Sentinel, 11 Oct. 2024 The island is not only the largest potter's field in the U.S., but it is also believed to be the single largest AIDS burial site, according to the NYC Parks Department. Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 1 Dec. 2023 After finding out from police that her son was buried in a potter's field, Wade Robinson sought to recover his body and give him a proper burial. Deena Zaru, ABC News, 16 Nov. 2023 The family of Dexter Wade is calling for justice after the 37-year-old man was allegedly fatally struck by a Jackson, Mississippi Police Department cruiser in March and later buried in a potter's field without his family knowing. Kiara Alfonseca, ABC News, 30 Oct. 2023 The family lived down the street from the potter's field where the boy was first buried, and placed flowers there on holidays. Maryclaire Dale, USA TODAY, 14 Jan. 2023
Recent Examples of Synonyms for potter's field
Noun
  • Located at the intersection of Highways 6 and 13, this cemetery is the final resting place of L.M. Montgomery.
    Kaitlyn McInnis, Forbes.com, 27 May 2025
  • There are over 150 national cemeteries —including Arlington National Cemetery and Gettysburg National Cemetery — across the country that will sport thousands of American flags every Memorial Day.
    Alex Heigl, People.com, 26 May 2025
Noun
  • Leading those developments appears to be China, which stunned the world in 2022 by using a robotic grabber to pluck one of its satellites from its orbital slot and drag it into a graveyard orbit.
    IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Spectrum, 11 May 2025
  • In a makeshift graveyard outside the hospital, surrounded by the giraffes that Ellie met in one of the first season’s most emotional scenes, the group discuss their next moves after burying their dead.
    Christopher Cruz, Rolling Stone, 5 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Potter's field.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/potter%27s%20field. Accessed 6 Jun. 2025.

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