Hearse

/hɜːrs/

Meaning & Definition

noun

A vehicle used for transporting the body of a deceased person, typically to a funeral service or burial.

The hearse arrived at the church just before the service began.

A large, ornate, usually black automobile or horse-drawn carriage designed to carry a coffin.

The family chose a classic vintage hearse for the funeral procession.

In historical contexts, a framework for holding a coffin at a funeral.

In the old days, a hearse might have been drawn by horses to convey the deceased to their final resting place.

Late Middle English, from the Old French 'herse', originally referring to a framework for covering a grave.

hearse and horses

Refers to the traditional mode of funeral transport.

hearse driver

The person who drives the hearse, usually a funeral director.

in the hearse

Colloquial phrase referring to being deceased.

funeral

A ceremony for honoring and remembering a deceased person.

coffin

A container for a dead body.

burial

The act of placing a deceased person in a grave.

A term for a vehicle used in a funeral procession, often used humorously.

We joked that my old car was a hearse because of how it looked.

Referring to a person's death, in a darkly humorous context.

After he fell off the stage, someone joked that they should call for the hearse.