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Definition of "burke" [burke]

  • To suppress or extinguish quietly; stifle: burked the investigation by failing to reappoint the commission. (verb-transitive)
  • To avoid; disregard: "To make The Tempest a tragic and depressing play he was willing to burke all the elements that made it the exact opposite” ( Robert M. Adams). (verb-transitive)
  • To execute (someone) by suffocation so as to leave the body intact and suitable for dissection. (verb-transitive)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Use "burke" in a sentence
  • "In Australian parlance, a "burke" is a clueless idiot, how very apt …"
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  • "Conspiracy idiots like you are in every country - (no moon landings-aliens on earth-kennedy-911-etc etc..) … oh - DCs are the same rank as PCs … they have the D due to different training … burke. on August 14, 2009 at 1: 36 pm PC World"