Grim Reaper

American  

noun

1. the personification of death as a man or cloaked skeleton holding a scythe.

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Grim Reaper Cultural  

1. A figure commonly used to represent death. The Grim Reaper is a skeleton or solemn-looking man carrying a scythe, who cuts off people's lives as though he were harvesting grain.

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Usage

What is the Grim Reaper? The Grim Reaper is a fictional skeleton wearing a black robe and wielding a scythe, generally portrayed as the embodiment of death. How is term pronounced?[ grim ree-per ]

Etymology

Origin of Grim Reaper

First recorded in 1925–30

Example Sentences

One thing to be said in favor of the Grim Reaper: His taste in literature is pretty sound.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 12, 2025

But Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Senate testimony on Thursday let everyone know that Santa isn’t coming — it’s the Grim Reaper, urging us to bring out the dead.

From Salon • Sep. 5, 2025

Likewise, I never heard from dozens of other men whose profiles appealed to me online, but either they proved to be the Grim Reaper or ghosted me when we were to meet.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 4, 2025

Cartoonists often depicted the Grim Reaper seated behind the wheel.

From Slate • May 25, 2024

I jammed the flashlight into my back pocket and walked quietly behind the garage, where I had a bag with my Grim Reaper costume.

From "Dead End in Norvelt" by Jack Gantos