Mausoleum's definition according to Merriam-Webster is: “a usually stone building with places for entombment of the dead above ground.” In modern usage, a mausoleum is sometimes referred to as a tomb and serves the purpose of storing one or more bodies instead of burying them in the ground.

As Trusted Caskets explains, mausoleums are "freestanding monuments" — buildings that double as decorative tombs — used to house the dead above ground. In a mausoleum, the dead can be placed in a casket, in the wall (a cubby), or even cremated and placed in an urn.

A mausoleum is a freestanding, above-ground building in a cemetery that can house multiple caskets Mausoleums are typically used in places at risk of flooding, or as a way to keep a family’s final resting places together without purchasing neighboring burial plots.

A mausoleum encloses a burial chamber either wholly above ground or within a burial vault below the superstructure. This contains the body or bodies, probably within sarcophagi or interment niches. Modern mausolea may also act as columbaria (a type of mausoleum for cremated remains) with additional cinerary urn niches.

As is the case in any cemetery or graveyard, a mausoleum is a peaceful place designed to honor those who lay to rest inside. Its serene atmosphere allows visitors to pay their respects to loved ones who are entombed.