Meanings
nounpallbearer (plural pallbearers)
plural pallbearers
- One called upon to carry or bear the coffin or the casket at a funeral.
It took ten pallbearers to carry her coffin.
1980, Stephen King, The Wedding Gig1 more example
They are likely displeased with the viral videos showing policemen attempting to tear the Palestinian flags from Abu Aqleh’s coffin while beating pallbearers with clubs, causing her coffin to almost fall to the ground.
2022 May 16, Elizabeth Tsurkov, “Israel knows it will get away with the attack on Shireen Abu Aqleh’s funeral”, in The Guardian
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
Translations
Danish kistebærer
- kistebærercasket bearer
Finnish arkunkantaja
- arkunkantajacasket bearer
German Sargträger
- Sargträgercasket bearer
Greek συνοδός φερέτρου, νεκροπομπός
- συνοδός φερέτρου (synodós ferétrou)casket bearer
- νεκροπομπός (nekropompós)casket bearer
Hungarian koporsóvivő
- koporsóvivőcasket bearer
Icelandic líkmaður
- líkmaðurcasket bearer
Japanese 死人担
- 死人担 (shibito katsugi)casket bearer
Russian носильщик гроба, похоронный носильщик
- носильщик гроба (nosilʹščik groba)casket bearer
- похоронный носильщик (poxoronnyj nosilʹščik)casket bearer
Spanish portador de féretro, portador del féretro
- portador de féretrocasket bearer
- portador del féretrocasket bearer
Swedish kistbärare
- kistbärarecasket bearer
Cite this entry
APA
pallbearer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pallbearer
MLA
“pallbearer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pallbearer. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “pallbearer,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/pallbearer.
Source: pallbearer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.