death

American  

[deth] / dɛθ /

noun

1. the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism.

   Synonyms:

   departure, passing, demise, decease

   Antonyms:

   life, birth

2. an instance of this.

   a death in the family; letters published after his death.

3. the state of being dead.

   to lie still in death.

4. extinction; destruction.

   It will mean the death of our hopes.

5. manner of dying.

   a hero's death.

6. (usually initial capital letter) the agent of death personified, usually represented as a man or a skeleton carrying a scythe.

7. Also called spiritual death.  loss or absence of spiritual life.

8. Christian Science. the false belief that life comes to an end.

9. bloodshed or murder.

   Hitler was responsible for the death of millions.

10. a cause or occasion of death.

    You'll be the death of me yet!

11. Archaic. pestilence; plague.

---

idioms

1. at death's door, in serious danger of death; gravely ill.

   Two survivors of the crash are still at death's door.

2. catch one’s death (of cold), to become ill with a common cold after exposure to bad weather, especially when wearing clothing that fails to keep one warm or dry.

   The kids will catch their death waiting at the bus stop in this rain.

3. to death, to an extreme degree; thoroughly.

   sick to death of the heat.

4. be death on,

   1. to be excessively strict about.

      College professors are death on late work, so don't even ask for a deadline extension.

   2. to be snobbish about or toward.

      He's just death on anyone who doesn't appreciate opera.

   3. to be able to cope with easily and successfully.

      The third baseman is death on pop flies.

5. put to death, to kill; execute.

6. in at the death,

   1. Fox Hunting. present at the kill.

   2. present at the climax or conclusion of a situation.

7. do to death,

   1. to kill, especially to murder.

   2. to repeat too often, to the point of becoming monotonous and boring.

      That theme has been done to death.

death British  

/ dɛθ /

noun

1. the permanent end of all functions of life in an organism or some of its cellular components

2. an instance of this

   his death ended an era

3. a murder or killing

   he had five deaths on his conscience

4. termination or destruction

   the death of colonialism

5. a state of affairs or an experience considered as terrible as death

   your constant nagging will be the death of me

6. a cause or source of death

7. (usually capital) a personification of death, usually a skeleton or an old man holding a scythe

8. 1. until dead

      bleed to death

      a fight to the death

   2. excessively

      bored to death

9. likely to die soon

10. informal to contract a severe cold

11. 1. to kill

    2. to overuse (a joke, etc) so that it no longer has any effect

12. 1. present when an animal that is being hunted is caught and killed

    2. present at the finish or climax

13. informal very ill

14. as if afraid for one's life

15. to kill deliberately or execute

---

death Scientific  

/ dĕth /

1. The end of life of an organism or cell. In humans and animals, death is manifested by the permanent cessation of vital organic functions, including the absence of heartbeat, spontaneous breathing, and brain activity. Cells die as a result of external injury or by an orderly, programmed series of self-destructive events known as apoptosis. The most common causes of death for humans in well-developed countries are cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, certain chronic diseases such as diabetes and emphysema, lung infections, and accidents.

2. See also brain death

---

death More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing death

• at death's door
• be the death of
• bore to death
• catch cold (one's death)
• dead
• fate worse than death
• in at the death
• kiss of death
• look like death (warmed over)
• matter of life and death
• put to death
• scare out of one's wits (to death)
• sign one's own death warrant
• thrill to pieces (to death)
• tickled pink (to death)
• to death

---

Other Word Forms

• predeath noun

Etymology

Origin of death

First recorded before 900; Middle English deeth, Old English dēath; cognate with German Tod, Gothic dauthus; akin to Old Norse deyja “to die”; die ¹, -th ¹

Explanation

Death is the end of life. Whether it’s only an instant or it takes years, death is always permanent, no matter what vampire movies try to tell you. Death has many meanings and uses, but it always means the end of something. It can be a single moment like the death of a fish eaten by an alligator, a slow process like the death of cassette tapes as compact discs became popular, or an ongoing state like the death of an ancient language. Death isn’t always bad: the death of a human is depressing, but the death of a vegetable is dinner.

Example Sentences

“In the absence of official oversight and enforcement, unmitigated expansion of the fireworks businesses operating at the site in Esparto led directly to death and destruction.”

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

Bostic’s death was just the latest of a Black man in local police custody, Ali said, rattling off the names of Kevin Wicks, Donovan Jackson and others.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

Dickens’s readers balk at his use of caricature and coincidence, but as Mr. Keefe shows, both are appropriate for a money-mad city full of affluence and anonymity, weird proximities and sudden death.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

There have been different reported death tolls from the attack in the Enjil district of Herat province on Friday.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Come back, come back, every second is life or death.

From "The Brightwood Code" by Monica Hesse

Related Words

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