Meaning & use
funeral director
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
A person whose job is to arrange funerals and prepare dead bodies for burial or cremation.
Grammar: Countable: a funeral director, two funeral directors.
Patterns
- work as a funeral director
- the funeral director arranged something
The funeral director met the family to discuss the service.
She trained as a funeral director after leaving school.
A good funeral director explains each step clearly and kindly.
Word forms
| plural | funeral directors |
|---|
Common combinations
- a licensed funeral director
- Only a licensed funeral director may sign these papers.
- the funeral director's office
- We waited in the funeral director's office until everyone arrived.
- hire a funeral director
- You don't have to hire a funeral director, but most families do.
- speak to the funeral director
- Speak to the funeral director about flowers and music.
Synonyms and how they differ
- undertaker
- The older everyday word for the same job; it is still common in British English but can sound a little dated.
- mortician
- Mainly American; it emphasizes preparing the body and often refers to the same professional.
Word family
- funeral noun
- The ceremony held after someone dies.
- funeral home noun
- The business or building where a funeral director works.
Commonly confused: funeral director or mourner?
funeral director vs mourner
A mourner is a person who attends a funeral because they are sad about the death; a funeral director is the professional who organizes it.
Practice
Which sentence uses 'funeral director' correctly?
Choose one answer.
A funeral director arranges funerals, so option 1 fits. Option 0 describes a mourner, option 2 describes a caterer, and option 3 describes a doctor.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “funeral director”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.