die
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to cease to live; undergo the complete and permanent cessation of all vital functions; become dead.
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(of something inanimate) to cease to exist.
The laughter died on his lips.
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to lose force, strength, or active qualities.
Superstitions die slowly.
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to cease to function; stop.
The motor died.
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to be no longer subject; become indifferent.
to die to worldly matters.
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to pass gradually; fade or subside gradually (usually followed by away, out, ordown ).
The storm slowly died down.
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Theology. to lose spiritual life.
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to faint or languish.
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to suffer as if fatally.
I'm dying of boredom!
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to pine with desire, love, longing, etc..
I'm dying to see my home again.
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to desire or want keenly or greatly.
I'm dying for a cup of coffee.
verb phrase
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die off to die one after another until the number is greatly reduced.
Her friends are dying off.
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die out
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to cease to exist; become extinct.
Both lines of the family died out before the turn of the century.
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to die away; fade; subside.
The roar of the engines died out as the rocket vanished into the clouds.
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die down to become calm or quiet; subside.
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die away (of a sound) to become weaker or fainter and then cease.
The hoofbeats gradually died away.
idioms
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to die for, stunning; remarkable.
That dress is to die for.
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die standing up, (of a performance) to be received with silence rather than applause.
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die hard,
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to die only after a bitter struggle.
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to give way or surrender slowly or with difficulty.
Childhood beliefs die hard.
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never say die, never give up hope; never abandon one's efforts.
noun
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dies,
plural
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dice
plural
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Machinery.
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any of various devices for cutting or forming material in a press or a stamping or forging machine.
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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.
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one of the separate pieces of such a device.
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a steel block or plate with small conical holes through which wire, plastic rods, etc., are drawn.
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an engraved stamp for impressing a design upon some softer material, as in coining money.
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singular of dice.
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Architecture. dado.
verb (used with object)
idioms
verb
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(of an organism or its cells, organs, etc) to cease all biological activity permanently
she died of pneumonia
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(of something inanimate) to cease to exist; come to an end
the memory of her will never die
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to lose strength, power, or energy, esp by degrees
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to become calm or quiet; subside
the noise slowly died down
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to stop functioning
the engine died
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to languish or pine, as with love, longing, etc
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informal (usually foll by of) to be nearly overcome (with laughter, boredom, etc)
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theol to lack spiritual life within the soul, thus separating it from God and leading to eternal punishment
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(tr) to undergo or suffer (a death of a specified kind) (esp in phrases such as die a saintly death )
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(foll by to) to become indifferent or apathetic (to)
to die to the world
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informal never give up
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to cease to exist after resistance or a struggle
old habits die hard
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to die while still working or active, prior to retirement
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to be eager or desperate (for something or to do something)
I'm dying to see the new house
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informal highly desirable
a salary to die for
noun
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a shaped block of metal or other hard material used to cut or form metal in a drop forge, press, or similar device
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a tool of metal, silicon carbide, or other hard material with a conical hole through which wires, rods, or tubes are drawn to reduce their diameter
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an internally-threaded tool for cutting external threads Compare tap 2
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a casting mould giving accurate dimensions and a good surface to the object cast See also die-cast
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architect the dado of a pedestal, usually cubic
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another name for dice
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perfectly honest
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the decision that commits a person irrevocably to an action has been taken
Usage
What is a basic definition of die? Die is a verb that means to stop living, to stop existing, or to stop functioning. Die has several other senses as a verb and a noun. When somebody dies, they are no longer alive. They have become dead. All living things will eventually die. Someone can die from disease, violence, or anything else that causes their vital organs (heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and lungs) to stop working.
- Real-life examples: Everyone who is dead has died. Plants die when they don’t get enough sunlight and water. Animals die from many of the same things as humans. Antibiotics are designed to cause disease-causing bacteria to die.
- Used in a sentence: I forgot to water my sunflower, so it died.
- Used in a sentence: My dreams of being a rock star will never die.
- Used in a sentence: I managed to upload all of my files before my laptop died.
Synonym Usage
Die, pass away ( pass on; pass ), 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 or pass ) is a commonly used euphemism implying a continuation of life after death: Grandfather passed away ( passed on or passed ). 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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of die1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English dien, deien, from Old Norse deyja; cf. dead, death
Origin of die2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English de (in early Modern English taking the vowel of the plural form dice ), from Old French de(i), presumably from Latin datum “given” (neuter past participle of dare “to give”), perhaps in the derivative sense “put, placed,” hence “played, cast”
Explanation
Your friend would be furious if you promised you would water his plants while he was out of town, and then let his favorite fern die. To die is to expire, or to cease to be alive. The verb to die means "to stop living," and it's also used to exaggerate a need or want, like when you say, "I would die to have those shoes." When die is a noun, it means a metal-cutting tool or the single form of dice: "Hand me the die, it's my turn to roll." When you're talking about permanently staining or coloring something, you have to use the word dye.
Vocabulary lists containing die
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:
He joked, “They’re waiting for me to die to get the down marker.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
Charlotte remembers being afraid to go to sleep because she was worried that Billy might have a seizure and die during the night.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Frequent stair climbers were 39% less likely to die from heart-related causes and 24% less likely to die from any cause compared with people who climbed stairs less often.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 14, 2026
"There were people who came here wanting to die," Song told AFP in northern Seoul's Mia village.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
“And if you’re Rump until the day you die, I’ll love you just the same.”
From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff
For people willing to roll the dice on a mystery vacation, flexibility is key.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026
After his success in Makerfield and then the Labour leadership contest, will Andy Burnham fancy another throw of the dice?
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Choosing to take Social Security at 62 versus 70 is a roll of the dice.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026
And this time the roll of the dice didn’t work, with Turkey getting its only win of the tournament on its last touch of the World Cup.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 26, 2026
They’d be shaking the dice and I’d hear them saying, “Make it a seven, make it a seven.”
From "Life Is So Good" by George Dawson
Considering new Green Lanterns are usually only called up when a current one dies, Jordan isn’t really keen on having to teach his “backup.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
In the UK, there is no general legal right to paid bereavement leave when someone close to you dies.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Beneficiaries with future interests in a trust such as children who stand to inherit when a parent dies don’t need to be primary residents, the city has said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026
“There’s always something when someone dies, whether it’s suicide or an accident, where you feel guilt,” she reflects.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
When another prisoner dies, he switches places with the dead body and is buried at sea, after which he swims to freedom and is rescued by friendly smugglers.
From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood
While the sisters were still in the throes of mourning their father, Bobby Womack also died.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 17, 2026
She suffered another major personal trauma in 2023 when her younger brother Jansen died, reportedly due to an enlarged heart.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
Dozens of men, women and children died in the surprise attack, but, respecting kinship ties, the attacking Mohawks spared all save one of the 30 pro-English Mohawks inside the stockade.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026
Her younger brother, actor Jansen Panettiere, died unexpectedly at 28 in 2023.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
But if she had really died before Clare, she would have been in the realms.
From "The Undead Fox of Deadwood Forest" by Aubrey Hartman
Are you living and dieing by weather forecasts?
From Time Magazine Archive
For instance, Mr. Jones says this dieing back is due to late grafting.
From Northern Nut Growers Association, Report of the Proceedings at the Seventh Annual Meeting Washington, D. C. September 8 and 9, 1916. by Northern Nut Growers Association
About the nearest tew absolute insolvency that a man kan git in this world, and think he iz dieing rich, iz to leave nothing but a pedigree tew hiz family.
From The Complete Works of Josh Billings by Henry W. Shaw
Now see here, Miss Bab, you've just come Home, and there was trouble at your last vacation that I'm like to remember to my dieing day.
From Bab: a Sub-Deb by Mary Roberts Rinehart
Don't see how the cattle live at all and there is lots of them dieing.
From Roosevelt in the Bad Lands by Hermann Hagedorn
The researchers also saw less amyloid beta accumulating in cells, while nerve cells were better able to maintain their function and avoid dying.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026
The iconic tule elk, some of which were fenced in on the northern part of the peninsula to keep them from competing for grassland with cows, were dying off.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026
Instead, we’ve somehow arrived at a version where Gen Z has collectively decided drinking isn’t fun anymore, bars are empty because nobody under 30 leaves the house and nightlife itself is quietly dying.
From Salon ● Aug. 15, 2026
Edwards has said there is time to improve end-of-life care before any assisted dying service would come into effect under her proposed law, given a four-year implementation period had been agreed in the previous debates.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
A bellowing sound, like a giant beast was dying a terrible death.
From "I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912" by Lauren Tarshis
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.
