death

American  

[deth] / dɛθ /

noun

1. the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism.

   Synonyms:

   departure, passing, demise, decease

   Antonyms:

   life, birth

2. an instance of this.

   a death in the family; letters published after his death.

3. the state of being dead.

   to lie still in death.

4. extinction; destruction.

   It will mean the death of our hopes.

5. manner of dying.

   a hero's death.

6. (usually initial capital letter) the agent of death personified, usually represented as a man or a skeleton carrying a scythe.

7. Also called spiritual death.  loss or absence of spiritual life.

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

9. bloodshed or murder.

   Hitler was responsible for the death of millions.

10. a cause or occasion of death.

    You'll be the death of me yet!

11. Archaic. pestilence; plague.

---

idioms

1. at death's door, in serious danger of death; gravely ill.

   Two survivors of the crash are still at death's door.

2. 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.

3. to death, to an extreme degree; thoroughly.

   sick to death of the heat.

4. be death on,

   1. to be excessively strict about.

      College professors are death on late work, so don't even ask for a deadline extension.

   2. to be snobbish about or toward.

      He's just death on anyone who doesn't appreciate opera.

   3. to be able to cope with easily and successfully.

      The third baseman is death on pop flies.

5. put to death, to kill; execute.

6. in at the death,

   1. Fox Hunting. present at the kill.

   2. present at the climax or conclusion of a situation.

7. do to death,

   1. to kill, especially to murder.

   2. to repeat too often, to the point of becoming monotonous and boring.

      That theme has been done to death.

death British  

/ 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

3. a murder or killing

   he had five deaths on his conscience

4. termination or destruction

   the death of colonialism

5. a state of affairs or an experience considered as terrible as death

   your constant nagging will be the death of me

6. a cause or source of death

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

8. 1. until dead

      bleed to death

      a fight to the death

   2. excessively

      bored to death

9. likely to die soon

10. informal to contract a severe cold

11. 1. to kill

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

12. 1. present when an animal that is being hunted is caught and killed

    2. present at the finish or climax

13. informal very ill

14. as if afraid for one's life

15. to kill deliberately or execute

---

death Scientific  

/ 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.

2. See also brain death

---

death More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing death

• at death's door
• be the death of
• bore to death
• catch cold (one's death)
• dead
• 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

---

Other Word Forms

• predeath noun

Etymology

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”; die ¹, -th ¹

Example Sentences

In a victim impact statement read to the court, her mother Lynn Sparkes said her daughter's death had left the family with a "lifetime of overwhelming grief".

From BBC

As a result, proteins are not properly degraded, which can lead to the death of nerve cells.

From Science Daily

He said Ms Doherty's death had "crushed" her family's hearts, adding that they find themselves in a situation that "this time last week they never imagined they would be in".

From BBC

One political expert likened his death to "the end of an era", telling the BBC: "He died, but the full truth died with him."

From BBC

The head teacher of a pupil who was killed when a car crashed on to a pitch has praised the local community for supporting each other after her death.

From BBC

Related Words

• decease
• demise
• dying
• expiration
• loss of life
• passing