demise
Americannoun
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death or decease.
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termination of existence or operation.
the demise of the empire.
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Law.
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a death or decease occasioning the transfer of an estate.
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a conveyance or transfer of an estate.
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Government. transfer of sovereignty, as by the death or deposition of the sovereign.
verb (used with object)
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Law. to transfer (an estate or the like) for a limited time; lease.
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Government. to transfer (sovereignty), as by the death or abdication of the sovereign.
verb (used without object)
noun
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failure or termination
the demise of one's hopes
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a euphemistic or formal word for death
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property law
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a transfer of an estate by lease
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the passing or transfer of an estate on the death of the owner
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the immediate transfer of sovereignty to a successor upon the death, abdication, etc, of a ruler (esp in the phrase demise of the crown )
verb
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to transfer or be transferred by inheritance, will, or succession
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(tr) property law to transfer (an estate, etc) for a limited period; lease
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(tr) to transfer (sovereignty, a title, etc) by or as if by the death, deposition, etc, of a ruler
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has demisedperfect 3rd person singular
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have demisedperfect
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has been demisingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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are demisingprogressive
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is demisingprogressive 3rd person singular
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am demisingprogressive 1st person singular
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have been demisingperfect progressive
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demisessingular 3rd person
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demisingparticiple
Past
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had demisedperfect
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were demisingprogressive plural
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had been demisingperfect progressive
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was demisingprogressive singular
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demisedsimple
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demisedparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of demise
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English demise, dimis(s)e, from Old French demis, past participle of desmetre, from Latin dīmittere “to send away, dismiss”; see dismiss
Explanation
Resort to the noun demise when you describe the end, termination, or death of something or someone. Demise is mostly used in medical or legal language, or when someone wants to sound either formal or euphemistic. The word entered English from French demettre which means "to dismiss," from the Latin word mittere, meaning "let go, send." And you might think, after reading this quote from E. Phillips Oppenheim, that demise sounds somewhat old-fashioned: "That my demise would have been a relief to you I can, of course, easily believe, but the means — they surely were not worthy of your ingenuity."
Vocabulary lists containing demise
Send a Message: Mit and Miss
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Tuesdays with Morrie
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"To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee, Chapters 20–25
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Someone on X, mourning the alleged demise of a TV show started in 1968, 177 years after the ratification of the First Amendment, described it as “the historical leader of the free press.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 8, 2026
It was all done "to look after my dad after, we assumed, our mum's demise".
From BBC • Jun. 5, 2026
Critics say it’s just postponing coal’s inevitable demise.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 4, 2026
Similar questions arose five years ago during the demise of meme stocks, which got that name because they rise and fall with social media buzz and not business fundamentals.
From Barron's • May 15, 2026
History did not demand Yossarian’s premature demise, justice could be satisfied without it, progress did not hinge upon it, victory did not depend on it.
From "Catch-22" by Joseph Heller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
