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dying

 - 12 dictionary results

dy⋅ing

  [dahy-ing]
Use dying in a Sentence
–adjective
1. ceasing to live; approaching death; expiring: a dying man.
2. of, pertaining to, or associated with death: his dying hour.
3. given, uttered, or manifested just before death: her dying words.
4. drawing to a close; ending: the dying year.
–noun
5. the act or process of ceasing to live, ending, or drawing to a close.
Origin:
1250–1300; ME. See die 1 , -ing 2 , -ing 1

die

1  [dahy]
–verb (used without object), died, dy⋅ing.
1. to cease to live; undergo the complete and permanent cessation of all vital functions; become dead.
2. (of something inanimate) to cease to exist: The laughter died on his lips.
3. to lose force, strength, or active qualities: Superstitions die slowly.
4. to cease to function; stop: The motor died.
5. to be no longer subject; become indifferent: to die to worldly matters.
6. to pass gradually; fade or subside gradually (usually fol. by away, out, or down): The storm slowly died down.
7. Theology. to lose spiritual life.
8. to faint or languish.
9. to suffer as if fatally: I'm dying of boredom!
10. to pine with desire, love, longing, etc.: I'm dying to see my home again.
11. to desire or want keenly or greatly: I'm dying for a cup of coffee.
—Verb phrases
12. die away, (of a sound) to become weaker or fainter and then cease: The hoofbeats gradually died away.
13. die down, to become calm or quiet; subside.
14. die off, to die one after another until the number is greatly reduced: Her friends are dying off.
15. die out,
a. to cease to exist; become extinct: Both lines of the family died out before the turn of the century.
b. to die away; fade; subside: The roar of the engines died out as the rocket vanished into the clouds.
—Idioms
16. die hard,
a. to die only after a bitter struggle.
b. to give way or surrender slowly or with difficulty: Childhood beliefs die hard.
17. die standing up, Theater. (of a performance) to be received with silence rather than applause.
18. never say die, never give up hope; never abandon one's efforts.
19. to die for, stunning; remarkable: That dress is to die for.
Origin:
1150–1200; ME dien, deien < ON deyja. Cf. dead, death

Synonyms:
1. expire, depart. Die, pass away (pass on), perish mean to relinquish life. To die is to become dead from any cause and in any circumstances. It is the simplest, plainest, and most direct word for this idea, and is used figuratively of anything that has once displayed activity: An echo, flame, storm, rumor dies. Pass away (or pass on) is a commonly used euphemism implying a con-tinuation of life after death: Grandfather passed away (passed on). Perish, a more literary term, implies death under harsh circumstances such as hunger, cold, neglect, etc.; figuratively, perish connotes utter extinction: Hardship caused many pioneers to perish. Ancient Egyptian civilization has perished.

die

2  [dahy] noun, plural dies for 1, 2, 4, dice for 3; verb, died, die⋅ing.
–noun
1. Machinery.
a. any of various devices for cutting or forming material in a press or a stamping or forging machine.
b. a hollow device of steel, often composed of several pieces to be fitted into a stock, for cutting the threads of bolts or the like.
c. one of the separate pieces of such a device.
d. a steel block or plate with small conical holes through which wire, plastic rods, etc., are drawn.
2. an engraved stamp for impressing a design upon some softer material, as in coining money.
3. sing. of dice.
4. Architecture. dado (def. 1).
–verb (used with object)
5. to impress, shape, or cut with a die.
—Idiom
6. the die is cast, the irrevocable decision has been made; fate has taken charge: The die is cast—I can't turn back.
Origin:
1300–50; ME de (in early modern E taking the vowel of the pl. form dice ) < OF de(i), presumbly < L datum given (neut. ptp. of dare to give), perh. in the deriv. sense “put, placed,” hence “played, cast”
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To dying
die 1   (dī)   
intr.v.   died, dy·ing (dī'ĭng), dies

  1. To cease living; become dead; expire.

  2. To cease existing, especially by degrees; fade: The sunlight died in the west.

  3. To experience an agony or suffering suggestive of that of death: nearly died of embarrassment.

  4. Informal To desire something greatly: I am dying for a box of chocolates. She was dying to see the exhibit.

    1. To cease operation; stop: If your vehicle dies, stay with it.

    2. To be destroyed, as in combat: could see the remains of two aircraft that had died in the attack.

  6. To become indifferent: had died to all worldly concerns.

Phrasal Verb(s):
die back Botany To be affected by dieback.
die downTo lose strength; subside: The winds died down.
die offTo undergo a sudden, sharp decline in population: Rabbits were dying off in that county.
die outTo cease living completely; become extinct: tribes and tribal customs that died out centuries ago.

Idiom(s):
die hard

  1. To take a long time in passing out of existence: racial prejudices that die hard.

  2. To resist against overwhelming, hopeless odds: radicalism that dies hard.


Idiom(s):
die on the vineTo fail, as from lack of support, especially at an early stage: a plan that died on the vine.

Idiom(s):
to die for Informal Remarkable or highly desirable.

[Middle English dien, probably from Old Norse deyja; see dheu-2 in Indo-European roots.]
dy·ing   (dī'ĭng)   
v.  Present participle of die1.
adj.  

  1. About to die: dying patients.

  2. Drawing to an end; declining: in the dying hours of the legislative session.

  3. Done or uttered just before death: a dying request.

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

  1. in.
    to “perish” (figuratively) from laughter or some other emotionally intense response. : The whole audience died laughing.
Dictionary of American Slang and Colloquial Expressions by Richard A. Spears.Fourth Edition.
Copyright 2007. Published by McGraw Hill.
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Word Origin & History

die  (n.)
c.1330 (as a plural), from O.Fr. de, of uncertain origin, perhaps from L. datum "given," pp. of dare (see date (1)), which, in addition to "give," had a secondary sense of "to play" (as a chess piece); or else from "what is given" (by chance or Fortune). Sense of "stamping block or tool" first recorded 1699.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: 2die
Function: noun
Inflected Form: plural dies /'dIz/
: any of various tools or devices for imparting a desiredshape, form, or finish to a material or for impressing an object or material

Main Entry: dying
present participle of DIE
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

die (dī)
v. died, dy·ing (dī'ĭng), dies

  1. To cease living; become dead; expire.

  2. To cease existing, especially by degrees; fade.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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Idioms & Phrases

dying

see under die.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer.
Copyright © 1997. Published by Houghton Mifflin.
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Encyclopedia

dying

the total cessation of life processes that eventually occurs in all living organisms. The state of human death has always been obscured by mystery and superstition, and its precise definition remains controversial, differing according to culture and legal systems.

Learn more about dying with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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