What does burke mean?
Definitions for burke
bɜrkburke
This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word burke.
Princeton's WordNet
Burke, Edmund Burkenoun
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
Burk, Martha Jane Burk, Burke, Martha Jane Burke, Calamity Janeverb
United States frontierswoman and legendary figure of the Wild West noted for her marksmanship (1852-1903)
burkeverb
murder without leaving a trace on the body
burkeverb
get rid of, silence, or suppress
"burke an issue"
Wiktionary
burkenoun
Variant spelling of berk.
burkeverb
To murder by suffocation, or so as to produce few marks of violence, for the purpose of obtaining a body to be sold for dissection.
burkeverb
To smother; to conceal, hush up, suppress.
Burkenoun
for someone who lived in a fortified place.
Burkenoun
One of various places in the United States.
Etymology: Eponym, from William Burke.
Wikipedia
Burke
Burke is an Anglo-Norman Irish surname, deriving from the ancient Anglo-Norman and Hiberno-Norman noble dynasty, the House of Burgh. In Ireland, the descendants of William de Burgh (c. 1160–1206) had the surname de Burgh which was gaelicised in Irish as de Búrca and over the centuries became Búrc then Burke and Bourke.
ChatGPT
burke
As a noun, Burke refers to an Irish playwright and essayist, Edmund Burke, who was an influential figure in the history of political theory and philosophy. As a verb, to 'burke' generally means to suppress quietly or indirectly; bypass or avoid. It originates from the 19th-century murderer William Burke, who killed people to supply bodies for dissection to medical schools. Therefore, it can also mean to murder, as by suffocation, so as to leave no or few marks of violence. The uses of the verb 'burke' are generally in historical contexts or literature. In some dictionaries, you may also find Burke defined as the act of hushing up an investigation or squelching a report.
Webster Dictionary
Burkeverb
to murder by suffocation, or so as to produce few marks of violence, for the purpose of obtaining a body to be sold for dissection
Burkeverb
to dispose of quietly or indirectly; to suppress; to smother; to shelve; as, to burke a parliamentary question
Wikidata
Burke
Burke is a census-designated place in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2000 census, Burke had a total population of 57,737. Before 2010, the CDP was divided, with a portion of it becoming Burke Centre CDP; the population remaining in the Burke CDP was reported at 41,055 in the 2010 census.
Chambers 20th Century Dictionary
Burke
burk, v.t. to murder, esp. by stifling: hence (fig.) to put an end to quietly. [From Burke, an Edinburgh Irishman (hanged 1829), who committed the crime in order to sell the bodies of his victims for dissection.]
Suggested Resources
burke
Quotes by burke -- Explore a large variety of famous quotes made by burke on the Quotes.net website.
Etymology and Origins
Burke
To stop or gag--e.g. to burke a question. After an Irishman of this name, who silently and secretly took the lives of many peaceable citizens by holding a pitch plaster over their mouths, in order to sell their bodies to the doctors for dissection. He was hanged in 1849. His crimes were described as “Burking.”
Surnames Frequency by Census Records
BURKE
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Burke is ranked #246 in terms of the most common surnames in America.
The Burke surname appeared 122,877 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 42 would have the surname Burke.
85.9% or 105,588 total occurrences were White.
8.7% or 10,764 total occurrences were Black.
2.4% or 2,961 total occurrences were of Hispanic origin.
1.6% or 2,064 total occurrences were of two or more races.
0.6% or 836 total occurrences were Asian.
0.5% or 664 total occurrences were American Indian or Alaskan Native.
Usage in printed sourcesFrom:
- [["1740","1"],["1772","1"],["1782","3"],["1790","1"],["1791","1"],["1796","1"],["1797","2"],["1798","3"],["1799","1"],["1800","2"],["1805","2"],["1806","1"],["1810","2"],["1811","1"],["1812","2"],["1813","2"],["1814","2"],["1815","2"],["1816","1"],["1817","1"],["1818","1"],["1820","1"],["1821","1"],["1822","7"],["1824","1"],["1826","2"],["1827","32"],["1828","3"],["1829","5"],["1830","3"],["1831","3"],["1832","10"],["1833","1"],["1834","2"],["1835","2"],["1836","7"],["1837","5"],["1838","12"],["1839","8"],["1841","13"],["1842","24"],["1843","9"],["1844","41"],["1845","3"],["1847","10"],["1848","9"],["1849","14"],["1850","6"],["1851","9"],["1852","29"],["1853","10"],["1854","65"],["1855","8"],["1856","4"],["1857","24"],["1858","10"],["1859","13"],["1860","29"],["1861","21"],["1862","5"],["1863","7"],["1864","5"],["1865","20"],["1866","14"],["1867","10"],["1868","15"],["1869","16"],["1870","9"],["1871","10"],["1872","16"],["1873","13"],["1874","4"],["1875","21"],["1876","25"],["1877","32"],["1878","14"],["1879","31"],["1880","67"],["1881","25"],["1882","48"],["1883","28"],["1884","36"],["1885","22"],["1886","30"],["1887","32"],["1888","51"],["1889","28"],["1890","18"],["1891","31"],["1892","40"],["1893","56"],["1894","22"],["1895","44"],["1896","90"],["1897","36"],["1898","39"],["1899","47"],["1900","36"],["1901","55"],["1902","57"],["1903","56"],["1904","67"],["1905","48"],["1906","45"],["1907","51"],["1908","59"],["1909","32"],["1910","48"],["1911","49"],["1912","77"],["1913","60"],["1914","30"],["1915","17"],["1916","42"],["1917","157"],["1918","36"],["1919","25"],["1920","61"],["1921","42"],["1922","28"],["1923","53"],["1924","48"],["1925","27"],["1926","45"],["1927","50"],["1928","46"],["1929","46"],["1930","31"],["1931","86"],["1932","44"],["1933","65"],["1934","46"],["1935","58"],["1936","40"],["1937","46"],["1938","46"],["1939","44"],["1940","43"],["1941","40"],["1942","20"],["1943","26"],["1944","25"],["1945","33"],["1946","43"],["1947","52"],["1948","35"],["1949","270"],["1950","214"],["1951","70"],["1952","51"],["1953","63"],["1954","64"],["1955","50"],["1956","34"],["1957","62"],["1958","104"],["1959","65"],["1960","121"],["1961","91"],["1962","102"],["1963","165"],["1964","126"],["1965","169"],["1966","205"],["1967","189"],["1968","117"],["1969","174"],["1970","196"],["1971","141"],["1972","164"],["1973","142"],["1974","152"],["1975","146"],["1976","118"],["1977","94"],["1978","87"],["1979","144"],["1980","110"],["1981","107"],["1982","106"],["1983","98"],["1984","147"],["1985","110"],["1986","90"],["1987","118"],["1988","122"],["1989","109"],["1990","88"],["1991","95"],["1992","61"],["1993","72"],["1994","97"],["1995","98"],["1996","81"],["1997","65"],["1998","102"],["1999","77"],["2000","141"],["2001","86"],["2002","90"],["2003","129"],["2004","174"],["2005","167"],["2006","194"],["2007","189"],["2008","376"]]
Anagrams for burke »
burek
bruke
Numerology
Chaldean Numerology
The numerical value of burke in Chaldean Numerology is: 8
Pythagorean Numerology
The numerical value of burke in Pythagorean Numerology is: 3
Examples of burke in a Sentence
I mean, I never had the highest opinion of him in the first place, but I guess he’s the last person in this life I should look to for principles, david Burke went in and took over [ the space Jose Andres had originally occupied ], and promptly tried to poach David Burke staff, I hear. This was after Jose Andres reached out and said Everyone welcome Jose Andres to Washington, don’t hold it against Jose Andres, just because I decided to pull out. So Burke’s a steaming loaf of sh --, as far as I ’m concerned, and feel free to quote me.
Judge Burke did, during jury selection, Mr. Weinstein has much downtime outside the presence of the jury pool. He is not reading in the courtroom.
We couldn't be prouder of this game-changing show and the impact it has had on our cultural landscape, the success of' Fresh Off the Boat' has helped pave the way for inclusion throughout the industry. Nahnatchka Khan and Karey Burke brilliant creative team have created an unforgettable series with an Asian-American family front and center, something that hadn't been done in two decades.
His decision to retire is unrelated to any speculation of a federal investigation, chief Burke vehemently denies any wrongdoing whatsoever and looks forward to the next chapter in his life.
This is going to be one of the most complete T. rex specimens in the world. And it’s gorgeous in terms of its preservation — the bone is spectacular, i ’m super excited to be able to bring this to the Burke, the Pacific Northwest and the University of Washington.
Popularity rank by frequency of use
References
Translations for burke
From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary
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"burke." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2025. Web. 18 Feb. 2025. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/burke>.
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