demise

[ dih-mahyz ]

See synonyms for: demise demised demising on Thesaurus.com

noun

death or decease.
termination of existence or operation: the demise of the empire.

Law.
- a death or decease occasioning the transfer of an estate.
- a conveyance or transfer of an estate.
Government. transfer of sovereignty, as by the death or deposition of the sovereign.

verb (used with object),de·mised, de·mis·ing.

Law. to transfer (an estate or the like) for a limited time; lease.
Government. to transfer (sovereignty), as by the death or abdication of the sovereign.

verb (used without object),de·mised, de·mis·ing.

Law. to pass by bequest, inheritance, or succession.

Origin of demise

First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English demise, dimis(s)e, from Old French demis, past participle of desmetre, from Latin dīmittere “to send away, dismiss”; see dismiss

Other words from demise

de·mis·a·bil·i·ty, noun
de·mis·a·ble, adjective
non·de·mise, noun
un·de·mised, adjective

Words Nearby demise

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use demise in a sentence

While some went extinct as early as the 17th century,others may have met their demise by human means even far earlier—namely major Pleistocene megafauna like the woolly rhino.
Climate change probably contributed to the woolly rhino’s rapid demise | Sara Kiley Watson | August 25, 2020 | Popular-Science
This means even more stars can escape, quickening the cluster’s demise.
Milky Way’s tidal forces are shredding a nearby star cluster | Ken Croswell | August 18, 2020 | Science News For Students
By the time Clark sent out the last issue in December 2019, after a detached retina left him temporarily blind in one eye, he had chronicled the demise of 16,000 factories, plants, and mills in 17 years.
Unmade in America | Tate Ryan-Mosley | August 14, 2020 | MIT Technology Review
Mack struggles with what the inevitable demise of everything means for humankind.
‘The End of Everything’ explores the ways the universe could perish | Emily Conover | August 4, 2020 | Science News
The rest were sudden demises such as poisonings that involved another substance along with alcohol or alcohol-related car crashes.
Heavy drinking drove hundreds of thousands of Americans to early graves | Aimee Cunningham | August 3, 2020 | Science News

Such statements are rare, as the Guards routinely avoid going public with news about the demise of one of their commanders.
What an Iranian Funeral Tells Us About the Wars in Iraq | IranWire | January 6, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
Were they innocent victims or did they conduct themselves in a manner that would naturally lead to their demise?
The Post-Brown and Garner Question: Who ‘Deserves’ to Die? | Goldie Taylor | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
It was sad that my first visit to Court Green, which Sylvia had described so enthusiastically, should be after her demise.
Ted Hughes’s Brother on Losing Sylvia Plath | Gerald Hughes | December 2, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
In the film, Turner begins to think about how his work will be seen after his demise.
Mike Leigh Is the Master Filmmaker Who Hates Hollywood | Nico Hines | October 14, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Ok, so the threatened demise of a social media presence might be a bit of a stretch, but you get the point.
1D Fans Unleash Terror on 'Daily Show' | Amy Zimmerman | September 26, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
At his demise, he was succeeded by Philip A. Bell, who continues to keep one of the leading offices in the city.
The Condition, Elevation, Emigration, and Destiny of the Colored People of the United States | Martin R. Delany
The bill did not proceed beyond this stage of its progress, in consequence of the demise of the crown.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. | E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
These events were supposed to foreshadow the speedy demise of the Peel administration.
The History of England in Three Volumes, Vol.III. | E. Farr and E. H. Nolan
His father lamented her demise for about a year, and then married again, several children being the result of this second union.
Hebraic Literature; Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala | Various
Egerton advised him that the demise was disadvantageous, but that it might be hard to terminate it without Browne's concurrence.
Sir Walter Ralegh | William Stebbing

British Dictionary definitions for demise

demise

/ (dɪˈmaɪz) /

noun

failure or termination: the demise of one's hopes
a euphemistic or formal word for death

property law
- a transfer of an estate by lease
- the passing or transfer of an estate on the death of the owner
the immediate transfer of sovereignty to a successor upon the death, abdication, etc, of a ruler (esp in the phrase demise of the crown)

verb

to transfer or be transferred by inheritance, will, or succession
(tr) property law to transfer (an estate, etc) for a limited period; lease

(tr) to transfer (sovereignty, a title, etc) by or as if by the death, deposition, etc, of a ruler

Origin of demise

C16: from Old French, feminine of demis dismissed, from demettre to send away, from Latin dīmittere; see dismiss

Derived forms of demise

demisable, adjective

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

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