death

[ deth ]
See synonyms for: deathdeaths on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism.: Compare brain death.

  2. an instance of this: a death in the family; letters published after his death.

  1. the state of being dead: to lie still in death.

  2. extinction; destruction: It will mean the death of our hopes.

  3. manner of dying: a hero's death.

  4. (usually initial capital letter) the agent of death personified, usually represented as a man or a skeleton carrying a scythe.: Compare Grim Reaper.

  5. Also called spir·it·u·al death . loss or absence of spiritual life.

  6. Christian Science. the false belief that life comes to an end.

  7. bloodshed or murder: Hitler was responsible for the death of millions.

  8. a cause or occasion of death: You'll be the death of me yet!

  9. Archaic. pestilence; plague.: Compare Black Death.

Idioms about death

  1. at death's door, in serious danger of death; gravely ill: Two survivors of the crash are still at death's door.

  2. be death on, Informal.

    • to be excessively strict about: College professors are death on late work, so don't even ask for a deadline extension.

    • to be snobbish about or toward: He's just death on anyone who doesn't appreciate opera.

    • to be able to cope with easily and successfully: The third baseman is death on pop flies.

  1. catch one’s death (of cold), to become ill with a common cold after exposure to bad weather, especially when wearing clothing that fails to keep one warm or dry: The kids will catch their death waiting at the bus stop in this rain.

  2. do to death,

    • to kill, especially to murder.

    • to repeat too often, to the point of becoming monotonous and boring: That theme has been done to death.

  3. in at the death,

    • Fox Hunting. present at the kill.

    • present at the climax or conclusion of a situation.

  4. put to death, to kill; execute.

  5. to death, to an extreme degree; thoroughly: sick to death of the heat.

Origin of death

1
First recorded before 900; Middle English deeth, Old English dēath; cognate with German Tod, Gothic dauthus; akin to Old Norse deyja “to die”; see die1, -th1

Other words for death

Opposites for death

Other words from death

  • pre·death, noun

Words that may be confused with death

Words Nearby death

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use death in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for death

death

/ (dɛθ) /


noun
  1. the permanent end of all functions of life in an organism or some of its cellular components

  2. an instance of this: his death ended an era

  1. a murder or killing: he had five deaths on his conscience

  2. termination or destruction: the death of colonialism

  3. a state of affairs or an experience considered as terrible as death: your constant nagging will be the death of me

  4. a cause or source of death

  5. (usually capital) a personification of death, usually a skeleton or an old man holding a scythe

    • to death or to the death until dead: bleed to death; a fight to the death

    • to death excessively: bored to death

  6. at death's door likely to die soon

  7. catch one's death or catch one's death of cold informal to contract a severe cold

  8. do to death

    • to kill

    • to overuse (a joke, etc) so that it no longer has any effect

  9. in at the death

    • present when an animal that is being hunted is caught and killed

    • present at the finish or climax

  10. like death warmed up informal very ill

  11. like grim death as if afraid for one's life

  12. put to death to kill deliberately or execute

Origin of death

1
Old English dēath; related to Old High German tōd death, Gothic dauthus

Other words from death

  • Related adjectives: fatal, lethal, mortal
  • Related prefixes: necro-, thanato-

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for death

death

[ dĕth ]


  1. The end of life of an organism or cell. In humans and animals, death is manifested by the permanent cessation of vital organic functions, including the absence of heartbeat, spontaneous breathing, and brain activity. Cells die as a result of external injury or by an orderly, programmed series of self-destructive events known as apoptosis. The most common causes of death for humans in well-developed countries are cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, certain chronic diseases such as diabetes and emphysema, lung infections, and accidents. See also brain death.

The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Other Idioms and Phrases with death

death

In addition to the idioms beginning with death

  • death and taxes, certain as
  • death knell
  • death of
  • death on

also see:

  • at death's door
  • be the death of
  • bore to death
  • catch cold (one's death)
  • fate worse than death
  • in at the death
  • kiss of death
  • look like death (warmed over)
  • matter of life and death
  • put to death
  • scare out of one's wits (to death)
  • sign one's own death warrant
  • thrill to pieces (to death)
  • tickled pink (to death)
  • to death

Also see underdead.

The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.