dying

American  

[dahy-ing] / ˈdaɪ ɪŋ /

adjective

1. ceasing to live; approaching death; expiring.

   a dying man.

2. of, relating to, or associated with death.

   his dying hour.

3. given, uttered, or manifested just before death.

   her dying words.

4. drawing to a close; ending.

   the dying year.

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noun

1. the act or process of ceasing to live, ending, or drawing to a close.

dying British  

/ ˈdaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle of die 1

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adjective

1. relating to or occurring at the moment of death

   a dying wish

dying Idioms  

1. see under die.

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Other Word Forms

• half-dying
  adjective

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Etymology

Origin of dying

1250–1300; Middle English. See die ¹, -ing ², -ing ¹

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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!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dying

How does a parent say goodbye to a dying child?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Unlike ordinary planets, which form alongside young stars, a second-generation planet takes shape later from material released by a dying star.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 9, 2026

She helped me through the divorce, sat with me when my father was dying and stayed with me for a week after my surgery a few years ago.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026

But it’s more than just Greenland sharks at risk, with an estimated 79 million sharks dying in fisheries in 2019.

From Salon ● Oct. 9, 2026

I pictured my mother, holding me in her arms, dying, ready to give me a name, a name that would overpower all the magic that had trapped her.

From "Rump: The (Fairly) True Story of Rumpelstilskin" by Liesl Shurtliff

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Related Words

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

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