From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishgravegrave1 /ɡreɪv/ ●●○ noun [countable] 1 MXthe place in the ground where a dead body is buried → tomb At the head of the grave there was a small wooden cross.2 → the grave3 → somebody would turn in their grave → dig your own grave at dig1(8), → from (the) cradle to (the) grave at cradle1(3), → have one foot in the grave at foot1(24), → silent as the grave at silent(3), → a watery grave at watery(4)COLLOCATIONSverbsdig a graveIn the churchyard, a man was digging a grave.mark a graveThe stone marked the grave of their young daughter.bury somebody in a grave (=put someone in a grave)She was buried in a grave next to her older sister.ADJECTIVES/NOUN + gravea shallow grave (=a hole that is not very deep in the ground)They found the woman’s remains in a shallow grave in the woods.a mass grave (=one that is filled with many people, especially people killed in a war or people who died of a disease at a similar time)Plague victims were buried in a mass grave.an unmarked grave (=one that does not have anything to show where it is or who is in it)Until 1855, poor people here were buried in unmarked graves.a family grave (=one where members of a family are buried together)Walter died in 1922 and was buried in the family grave in Finchley cemetery.an open grave (=one that has not yet been covered in earth)He wept by her open grave.grave + NOUNa grave site (=the place where a grave is)The president visited the grave sites of 12 youths killed in recent bombings.
Examples from the Corpus
grave• One of two silver cups found together with a set of wine-drinking utensils in a grave.• The miracles which have since occurred at his grave have confirmed his holiness.• Beethoven may be rolling over in his grave, but audiences love it.• And do the different types of grave reflect different periods or something else?• Her body was found buried in a shallow grave in a grove two days after she was last seen with Thompson.• In fact, none of the graves has any marker at all, and the graveyard itself is unmarked and untended.• This band will not go to their graves with their songs still in them.gravegrave2 ●●○ adjective 1 SERIOUS PERSONgrave problems, situations, or worries are very great or bad → serious Matthew’s life is in grave danger. The report expressed grave concern over the technicians’ lack of training. I have grave doubts about his ability. The situation is becoming very grave.► see thesaurus at seriousRegisterIn everyday English, people usually use serious rather than grave, and seriously rather than gravely:I have serious doubts about whether he’s up to the job.I’m seriously worried about her.2 SERIOUS/NOT JOKINGlooking or sounding quiet and serious, especially because something important or worrying has happened SYN sombre Turnbull’s face was grave as he told them about the accident. —gravely adverb Adam nodded gravely. We are gravely concerned (=very concerned) about these developments. → gravityExamples from the Corpus
grave• "We might be too late, " she said gravely.• His expression was grave and he looked deep in thought.• Holmes looked grave, and stood deep in worried thought for a minute or two.• The ambassador declared that there would be grave consequences if the hostages were not released.• A thick fog descended on the mountain, and I knew that we were in grave danger.• I have grave doubts that this new government will last.• Dr. Fromm looked grave. "I have some bad news, " he said.• "It would be a grave mistake, " said the president, "to ignore the problem, and pretend that it will go away."• Although, now she came to think about it, maybe such caution had been a grave mistake.• a grave mistake• Oppenheimer was, by nature, a philosophical, rather grave person, but some of his colleagues were anything but.• There was a grave risk that the operation would leave him partly paralysed.• Luch looked over at Hector for his smile before bowing grave thanks.• The advance of the disease presents a grave threat to the livestock industry.• The situation is grave -- war now seems inevitable.• His expression became very grave when we told him what had happened.grave doubts• There must, too, be the gravest doubts about a system which excludes those who prefer not to join a union.• Gryschenko, 42, from Kiev, had had grave doubts about doing the first leg of the race.• For decades, the party even had grave doubts about his politics.• I have grave doubts about that.• I had grave doubts about where he might take it.• In my talk with Alec he himself expressed grave doubts whether he wished to take it on.gravegrave3 /ɡrɑːv/ adjective SLAa grave accent is a mark put above a letter in some languages such as French to show the pronunciation, for example è → acute, circumflexExamples from the Corpus
grave• I felt the sinking whir of the back wheel as it dug its own grave.• His expression was grave and he looked deep in thought.• Although, now she came to think about it, maybe such caution had been a grave mistake.• Those who see all the monuments as tombs argue that grave robbers removed the evidence.• Prosecutors said Saturday that the professed psychic is being held on charges ranging from grave robbery to conspiracy to mislead officials.• Luch looked over at Hector for his smile before bowing grave thanks.• The advance of the disease presents a grave threat to the livestock industry.Origin grave1 Old English græf 