Meaning & use
close casket
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivebefore a nounAmerican
describing a funeral or visitation where the coffin remains closed and is not opened for viewing.
Grammar: Used before a noun: a close-casket funeral. Often hyphenated when it comes before the noun.
Patterns
- a close-casket funeral
- a close-casket service
- a close-casket visitation
The family chose a close-casket funeral to keep the service private.
At a close-casket visitation, friends can still pay their respects without viewing the body.
The memorial was a close-casket ceremony, with flowers placed on the coffin.
nouncountableAmerican
a funeral or visitation in which the coffin is kept closed.
Grammar: Countable; often used with 'have' or 'hold'.
Patterns
- have a close casket
- hold a close casket
They decided to have a close casket because of the circumstances.
The funeral home arranged a close casket for the family.
Common combinations
- close-casket funeral
- She requested a close-casket funeral in her will.
- close-casket service
- The close-casket service was held at the church.
- close-casket visitation
- The close-casket visitation allowed friends to say goodbye.
Synonyms and how they differ
- closed-coffin
- The British equivalent; used in the same way but with 'coffin' instead of 'casket'.
Opposites
Commonly confused: close casket or close call?
close casket vs close call
Close call means a narrow escape; close casket refers to a funeral arrangement.
Practice
The family opted for a ___ funeral to avoid an open viewing.
Choose one answer.
Close-casket is the standard American term for a funeral with a closed coffin; open-casket is the opposite, and close call is unrelated.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “close casket”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.