Meaning & use
pall bearers
Last updated
“pall bearers” is a form of “pall bearer”. See that entry for the full set of meanings.
Meaning
nounplural
The people who carry a coffin at a funeral, or walk alongside it as a mark of respect.
Grammar: Plural of pall bearer; takes a plural verb: the pall bearers were ready.
Patterns
- the pall bearers carry something
- serve as pall bearers
The pall bearers walked slowly down the aisle with the coffin.
His four sons and two nephews were the pall bearers.
The pall bearers wore dark suits and white gloves.
Word forms
| singular | pall bearer |
|---|
Common combinations
- act as pall bearers
- His cousins acted as pall bearers.
- six pall bearers
- Six pall bearers carried the heavy oak coffin.
- honorary pall bearers
- Honorary pall bearers walked behind the hearse.
- pall bearers carried
- The pall bearers carried the coffin to the grave.
- ask someone to be pall bearers
- The family asked three friends to be pall bearers.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coffin bearers
- Coffin bearers is a plain description of the same role, while pall bearers is the traditional term.
- mourners
- Mourners are all the people grieving, but pall bearers have the particular job of carrying the coffin.
- honor guard
- An honor guard is a ceremonial group, often military, that may escort a coffin but is not the same as the carriers.
Word family
- pall bearer noun
- one person who helps carry the coffin
- pallbearer noun
- the usual one-word spelling
- pall noun
- a cloth laid over a coffin
- funeral noun
- a ceremony for a dead person
Commonly confused: pall bearers or pallet bearers?
pall bearers vs pallet bearers
There is no such role. Pall in pall bearers refers to the cloth over a coffin, not to a pallet.
Practice
At the funeral, the ______ lifted the coffin onto their shoulders and carried it out.
Choose one answer.
Pall bearers carry the coffin at a funeral. Ushers guide guests, witnesses watch events and chaperones supervise young people.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pall bearers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.