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
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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demisesimple
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demisessimple
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have demisedperfect
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has demisedperfect
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am demisingprogressive
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are demisingprogressive
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is demisingprogressive
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have been demisingperfect progressive
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has been demisingperfect progressive
Past
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demisedsimple
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had demisedperfect
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was demisingprogressive
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were demisingprogressive
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had been demisingperfect progressive
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.
See Examples For:
But Balogun may have unwittingly played a role in the team’s demise as well.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 7, 2026
The demise of consumer ownership indicates a concurrent increase in the power of giant corporations to control how games get sold and promoted.
From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026
And over a decade after the demise of the ill-fated Google Glass, Alphabet is trying its hand at smart glasses again with the May launch of its Intelligent Eyewear.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 27, 2026
The demise of Spirit Airlines earlier this year eliminated many of the cheapest flights to the city.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
It would appear that, a day before the moment of demise, the subject was blind, and sufficiently fevered as to be insensate.
From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson
Their fanbase will often identify with them until such time as these outlaws finally meet their ultimate legal demises.
From Salon ● Jan. 22, 2024
Along with the celebrities, the Loserbards also recounted the unusual demises of some otherwise unknown folks.
From Washington Post ● Jan. 27, 2022
If anything, the sentimentality of such demises lie not in the character’s fate but in an actor’s departure.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 11, 2021
Outside the nine-episode series, the carving game is a legitimate children’s game that’s played in South Korea – sans gory demises.
From Fox News ● Oct. 10, 2021
Accordingly we hear most about them in connection with demises of domestic sovereignty.
From Ancient Law Its Connection to the History of Early Society by Maine, Henry Sumner, Sir
Having spent the past 20 years in Mississippi, the couple will be remembered by friends and family for amassing a collection of nearly 1,000 announcements of the demised.
From Washington Times ● Apr. 8, 2018
Photograph: Rebecca Jewell/Ghosts of Gone Birds They are all, alas, bleeding demised, passed on, no more, ceased to be, bereft of life and resting in peace.
From The Guardian ● Aug. 24, 2011
Perhaps never was he so proud of them as last September, when "Rudy," their favorite fox terrier, unhappily demised.
From Time Magazine Archive
The shock had nearly caused Mr. Pinnock to qualify for the coffin himself; but he had not, nor had any other inhabitant of suitable size since demised.
From If Winter Comes by Hutchinson, A. S. M. (Arthur Stuart-Menteth)
At the suggestion of Newfangle 'he danceth as evil-favoured as may be demised, and in the dancing he falleth down, and when he riseth he must groan', according to the stage-direction.
From The Growth of English Drama by Wynne, Arnold
The bank infuriated unions last month when it described 3,166 job losses as "demising" roles.
From The Guardian ● May 28, 2013
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.
