Dictionary
burke (būrk)
tr.v., burked, burk·ing, burkes.
To suppress or extinguish quietly; stifle: burked the investigation by failing to reappoint the commission.
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).
To execute (someone) by suffocation so as to leave the body intact and suitable for dissection.
[After William Burke (17921829), Irish-born grave robber and murderer.]
Thesaurus
burke
verb
To hold (something requiring an outlet) in check: choke (back), gag, hold back, hold down, hush (up), muffle, quench, repress, smother, squelch, stifle, strangle, suppress, throttle. Informal sit on (or upon). See restraint/unrestraint.
To keep away from: avoid, bypass, circumvent, dodge, duck, elude, escape, eschew, evade, get around, shun. Idioms: fight shy of, give a wide berth to, have no truck with, keepstaysteerclear of. See seek/avoid.
Obscure
burke
1) to suppress quietly or indirectly {burke an inquiry}
2) bypass, avoid
WordNet
Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.
The verb burke has 2 meanings:
Meaning #1: murder without leaving a trace on the body
Meaning #2: get rid of, silence, or suppress
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