Meaning & use
pallbearer
Last updated
Meaning
nouncountable
One of the people who carry or walk beside a coffin at a funeral.
Grammar: Usually plural, as there are several: six pallbearers carried the coffin.
Patterns
- act as a pallbearer
- serve as a pallbearer
His three sons and three nephews served as pallbearers.
She was honored to be asked to be a pallbearer for her teacher.
The pallbearers carried the coffin slowly down the church steps.
Word forms
| plural | pallbearers |
|---|
Common combinations
- act as a pallbearer
- My uncle agreed to act as a pallbearer.
- honorary pallbearer
- The old friends were named honorary pallbearers.
- serve as pallbearers
- Six coworkers served as pallbearers.
- ask someone to be a pallbearer
- The family asked him to be a pallbearer.
- the pallbearers carried
- The pallbearers carried the casket to the hearse.
Synonyms and how they differ
- coffin bearer
- Coffin bearer is a plain descriptive phrase and sounds less traditional than pallbearer.
- mourner
- A mourner is any person grieving at a funeral, while a pallbearer has the specific task of carrying the coffin.
- escort
- Escort is more general, while pallbearer is specific to funerals.
Word family
Commonly confused: pallbearer or mourner?
pallbearer vs mourner
A mourner attends a funeral to grieve, while a pallbearer physically carries the coffin.
Practice
At the funeral, six friends acted as ___ and carried the coffin.
Choose one answer.
Pallbearers are the people who carry the coffin. Mourners and ushers may attend or guide but do not carry, and chaplains lead religious service.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “pallbearer”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.