verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dying
Explanation
Something that's dying is about to die or is getting ready to stop existing. A shriveled up plant that hasn't been watered in days is probably dying. Dying is a process that will happen to us all: living things eventually die. But non-living things can be dying, too: a battery that doesn't have much juice left is dying, and so is a TV show that's bombing in the ratings. A craft that's losing popularity can be called a dying art. States of extreme stress or anticipation can also be described as a form of dying, as in "I'm dying to know how this book ends!"
Vocabulary lists containing dying
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.
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
"It is a dying game as it is to be honest. There are less and less of us about."
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
"If another animal feeds on that carcass and it is not dying, then definitely it is not a chemical," Joel Nyika, the Amboseli ecosystem manager for the Kajiado County authorities, told AFP.
From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026
When I told Daisy that I thought I was dying, it scared her.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
