1. To suppress or extinguish quietly; stifle: burked the investigation by failing to reappoint the commission.
2. 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).
3. To execute (someone) by suffocation so as to leave the body intact and suitable for dissection.

[After William Burke (1792-1829), Irish-born grave robber and murderer.]

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.