the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism.Compare brain death.
an instance of this: a death in the family; letters published after his death.
the state of being dead: to lie still in death.
extinction; destruction: It will mean the death of our hopes.
manner of dying: a hero's death.
(usually initial capital letter) the agent of death personified, usually represented as a man or a skeleton carrying a scythe.Compare Grim Reaper.
Also called spir·it·u·al death . loss or absence of spiritual life.
Christian Science. the false belief that life comes to an end.
bloodshed or murder: Hitler was responsible for the death of millions.
a cause or occasion of death: You'll be the death of me yet!
Archaic. pestilence; plague.Compare Black Death.
Idioms for death
at death's door, in serious danger of death; gravely ill: Two survivors of the crash are still at death's door.
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.
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.
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.
in at the death,
Fox Hunting.present at the kill.
present at the climax or conclusion of a situation.
put to death, to kill; execute.
to death, to an extreme degree; thoroughly: sick to death of the heat.
Origin of death
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
SYNONYMS FOR death
1 decease, demise, passing, departure.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR death ON THESAURUS.COM
ANTONYMS FOR death
1 birth, life.
SEE ANTONYMS FOR death ON THESAURUS.COM
OTHER WORDS FROM death
pre·death,noun
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH death
dearth, death
Words nearby death
dear me, dearterialization, dearth, deary, deasil, death, death adder, death and taxes, certain as, death angel, death anxiety, deathbed
So far, little is known publicly about the ransomware strain or the attackers involved in the infection, which began last Thursday, about 24 hours before the death occurred.
Patient dies after ransomware attack reroutes her to remote hospital|Dan Goodin|September 17, 2020|Ars Technica
The best way to dampen the negative effects of the coronavirus pandemic — to prevent illness and death and to return the economy to normal — is to limit its spread.
In 160 words, Trump reveals how little he cares about the pandemic|Philip Bump|September 17, 2020|Washington Post
New cases have declined markedly from the height of the pandemic in July and deaths have declined from the spring, when more than 1,500 people a day typically died.
Courts may reconsider temporary coronavirus restrictions as pandemic drags on|Anne Gearan, Karin Brulliard|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
Over time, though, the percentage of total deaths that have occurred in blue states has dropped.
Trump contradicts CDC director on vaccine; Biden says Americans shouldn’t trust Trump|Colby Itkowitz, Felicia Sonmez, John Wagner|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
If that were the country’s total, we would have seen the second-most number of deaths globally, trailing only Brazil.
Trump blames blue states for the coronavirus death toll — but most recent deaths have been in red states|Philip Bump|September 16, 2020|Washington Post
I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.
The Muslim Cop Killed by Terrorists|Michael Daly|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Asia Bibi, as she is known, was arrested and sentenced to death.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The most notorious states are Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, where death is an acceptable legal remedy.
In Defense of Blasphemy|Michael Tomasky|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Father Joel Román Salazar died in a car crash in 2013; his death was ruled an accident, but the suspicion of foul play persists.
Mexico’s Priests Are Marked for Murder|Jason McGahan|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
The death toll, which experts believe has been significantly undercut by secret burials, stands at 7,905.
The Race for the Ebola Vaccine|Abby Haglage|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
This was near being the death of us both, as the two critics together would have turned the scale at near five hundred.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science, April, 1876.|Various
It sounded like a hundred painters were fightin' to the death.
Scouting with Daniel Boone|Everett T. Tomlinson
If I was to write to my mother,' says he, 'that my wife had left me, I believe it would be the death of her.
The Land of Long Ago|Eliza Calvert Hall
The sultan now visits his wife, and tells her of the death of Nuzhat.
Filipino Popular Tales|Dean S. Fansler
No one had ever linked the death of Denzil's loved one with that of Almeric Tarboe.
Carnac's Folly, Complete|Gilbert Parker
British Dictionary definitions for death
death
/ (dɛθ) /
noun
the permanent end of all functions of life in an organism or some of its cellular components
an instance of thishis death ended an era
a murder or killinghe had five deaths on his conscience
termination or destructionthe death of colonialism
a state of affairs or an experience considered as terrible as deathyour constant nagging will be the death of me
a cause or source of death
(usually capital)a personification of death, usually a skeleton or an old man holding a scythe
to deathorto the deathuntil deadbleed to death; a fight to the death
to deathexcessivelybored to death
at death's doorlikely to die soon
catch one's deathorcatch one's death of coldinformalto contract a severe cold
do to death
to kill
to overuse (a joke, etc) so that it no longer has any effect
in at the death
present when an animal that is being hunted is caught and killed
present at the finish or climax
like death warmed upinformalvery ill
like grim deathas if afraid for one's life
put to deathto kill deliberately or execute
Other words from death
Related adjectives: fatal, lethal, mortalRelated prefixes: necro-, thanato-
Word Origin for death
Old English dēath; related to Old High German tōd death, Gothic dauthus
The end of life; the permanent cessation of vital bodily functions, as manifested in humans by the loss of heartbeat, the absence of spontaneous breathing, and brain death.
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.