die
1 Americanverb (used without object)
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to cease to live; undergo the complete and permanent cessation of all vital functions; become dead.
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(of something inanimate) to cease to exist.
The laughter died on his lips.
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to lose force, strength, or active qualities.
Superstitions die slowly.
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to cease to function; stop.
The motor died.
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to be no longer subject; become indifferent.
to die to worldly matters.
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to pass gradually; fade or subside gradually (usually followed by away, out, ordown ).
The storm slowly died down.
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Theology. to lose spiritual life.
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to faint or languish.
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to suffer as if fatally.
I'm dying of boredom!
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to pine with desire, love, longing, etc..
I'm dying to see my home again.
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to desire or want keenly or greatly.
I'm dying for a cup of coffee.
verb phrase
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die off to die one after another until the number is greatly reduced.
Her friends are dying off.
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die out
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to cease to exist; become extinct.
Both lines of the family died out before the turn of the century.
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to die away; fade; subside.
The roar of the engines died out as the rocket vanished into the clouds.
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die down to become calm or quiet; subside.
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die away (of a sound) to become weaker or fainter and then cease.
The hoofbeats gradually died away.
idioms
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to die for, stunning; remarkable.
That dress is to die for.
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die standing up, (of a performance) to be received with silence rather than applause.
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die hard,
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to die only after a bitter struggle.
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to give way or surrender slowly or with difficulty.
Childhood beliefs die hard.
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never say die, never give up hope; never abandon one's efforts.
noun
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dies,
plural
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dice
plural
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Machinery.
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any of various devices for cutting or forming material in a press or a stamping or forging machine.
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a hollow device of steel, often composed of several pieces to be fitted into a stock, for cutting the threads of bolts or the like.
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one of the separate pieces of such a device.
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a steel block or plate with small conical holes through which wire, plastic rods, etc., are drawn.
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an engraved stamp for impressing a design upon some softer material, as in coining money.
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singular of dice.
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Architecture. dado.
verb (used with object)
idioms
verb
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(of an organism or its cells, organs, etc) to cease all biological activity permanently
she died of pneumonia
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(of something inanimate) to cease to exist; come to an end
the memory of her will never die
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to lose strength, power, or energy, esp by degrees
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to become calm or quiet; subside
the noise slowly died down
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to stop functioning
the engine died
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to languish or pine, as with love, longing, etc
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informal (usually foll by of) to be nearly overcome (with laughter, boredom, etc)
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theol to lack spiritual life within the soul, thus separating it from God and leading to eternal punishment
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(tr) to undergo or suffer (a death of a specified kind) (esp in phrases such as die a saintly death )
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(foll by to) to become indifferent or apathetic (to)
to die to the world
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informal never give up
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to cease to exist after resistance or a struggle
old habits die hard
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to die while still working or active, prior to retirement
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to be eager or desperate (for something or to do something)
I'm dying to see the new house
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informal highly desirable
a salary to die for
noun
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a shaped block of metal or other hard material used to cut or form metal in a drop forge, press, or similar device
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a tool of metal, silicon carbide, or other hard material with a conical hole through which wires, rods, or tubes are drawn to reduce their diameter
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an internally-threaded tool for cutting external threads Compare tap 2
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a casting mould giving accurate dimensions and a good surface to the object cast See also die-cast
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architect the dado of a pedestal, usually cubic
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another name for dice
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perfectly honest
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the decision that commits a person irrevocably to an action has been taken
Usage
What is a basic definition of die? Die is a verb that means to stop living, to stop existing, or to stop functioning. Die has several other senses as a verb and a noun. When somebody dies, they are no longer alive. They have become dead. All living things will eventually die. Someone can die from disease, violence, or anything else that causes their vital organs (heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and lungs) to stop working.
- Real-life examples: Everyone who is dead has died. Plants die when they don’t get enough sunlight and water. Animals die from many of the same things as humans. Antibiotics are designed to cause disease-causing bacteria to die.
- Used in a sentence: I forgot to water my sunflower, so it died.
- Used in a sentence: My dreams of being a rock star will never die.
- Used in a sentence: I managed to upload all of my files before my laptop died.
Synonym Usage
Die, pass away ( pass on; pass ), perish mean to relinquish life. To die is to become dead from any cause and in any circumstances. It is the simplest, plainest, and most direct word for this idea, and is used figuratively of anything that has once displayed activity: An echo, flame, storm, rumor dies. Pass away (or pass on or pass ) is a commonly used euphemism implying a continuation of life after death: Grandfather passed away ( passed on or passed ). Perish, a more literary term, implies death under harsh circumstances such as hunger, cold, neglect, etc.; figuratively, perish connotes utter extinction: Hardship caused many pioneers to perish. Ancient Egyptian civilization has perished.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of die1
First recorded in 1150–1200; Middle English dien, deien, from Old Norse deyja; cf. dead, death
Origin of die2
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English de (in early Modern English taking the vowel of the plural form dice ), from Old French de(i), presumably from Latin datum “given” (neuter past participle of dare “to give”), perhaps in the derivative sense “put, placed,” hence “played, cast”
Explanation
Your friend would be furious if you promised you would water his plants while he was out of town, and then let his favorite fern die. To die is to expire, or to cease to be alive. The verb to die means "to stop living," and it's also used to exaggerate a need or want, like when you say, "I would die to have those shoes." When die is a noun, it means a metal-cutting tool or the single form of dice: "Hand me the die, it's my turn to roll." When you're talking about permanently staining or coloring something, you have to use the word dye.
Vocabulary lists containing die
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.
See Examples For:
"A people ready to die for the right to vote is willing to exercise the right to vote," he added to applause.
From Barron's ● Nov. 7, 2026
"How will I carry you down the mountain if you die?" he tells Tulsi when she questions the decision.
From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026
After the wind and heat die down, an atmospheric river event may be in the cards for the weekend of Nov. 13 and 14.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Coal miners used to carry a canary, which in case of a buildup of dangerous gases would die first, giving them time to get out.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 3, 2026
“My coin didn’t matter. I’m an old woman and it doesn’t make any difference if I die, as long as I pass that healing on to you.”
From "Nory Ryan’s Song" by Patricia Reilly Giff
He and thousands of others were ready to roll the dice, and meanwhile, Raman began to catch fire with young progressives who were voting for her rather than against Bass.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 5, 2026
Have you had enough of the mayor you know, and are you ready to roll the dice on someone you don’t?
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 14, 2026
"I think it really is a last throw of the dice," says automotive journalist Steve Fowler.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
"We're rolling the dice with our children," Carter declared at a House of Representatives hearing.
From Barron's ● Sep. 29, 2026
I followed him through the guardroom, where men slept, talked idly, or played at dice.
From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein
Because unlike previous spins on “Carrie,” in which the antiheroine dies at the end like her mother and her peers, Flanagan’s TV series is headed in a different direction.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 30, 2026
First, it’s an old-fashioned love story with a fantastical twist: Lively’s character dies in a car crash but is revived when she’s struck by lightning, only to stop aging forever.
From Salon ● Oct. 26, 2026
When my husband dies, I will be even poorer, as I will lose his Social Security income and will have only my Social Security to live on.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 19, 2026
"As they say, hope dies last," he told me.
From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026
“We need to move on to the research site once the wind dies down.”
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
It included allegations of threats, intimidation and coercion against Bryan Seaver, the relative who publicly confirmed Parton had died in August.
From BBC ● Nov. 7, 2026
A Los Angeles Police Department officer died during a training exercise in Huntington Beach on Thursday, officials said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026
Once lauded as the Son of Heaven, Puyi died in 1967 as a commoner in Beijing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Former US senator Jay Rockefeller, an heir to one of America's wealthiest dynasties who devoted decades to fighting poverty and expanding healthcare, has died aged 89, US media reported Friday.
From Barron's ● Nov. 6, 2026
After she died, I wanted to pay tribute to her by getting locs just like her.
From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold
Are you living and dieing by weather forecasts?
From Time Magazine Archive
You may have heard for this long while he was dieing of the ——; he now come abroad and look a divel, or at least a sad memento mori.
From The Tatler, Volume 1, 1899 by George A. Aitken
This summer, great death chanced in this land, manie dieing of the pestilence, wherewith sundrie places were infected.
From Chronicles (3 of 6): Historie of England (1 of 9) Henrie IV by Raphael Holinshed
It was her dieing Advice to her afflicted Laura, who has ever most faithfully adhered to it.
From Love and Freindship [sic] by Jane Austen
Coquets, and prudes, ought tew be compelled to hunt in couples, so that when the coquet haz wounded the game, the prude kan nuss the dieing viktim.
From The Complete Works of Josh Billings by Henry W. Shaw
Wagner certainly conceived of the “Ring” as a single magnum opus, and the connections throughout the entire cycle, from the opening of “Das Rheingold” to the dying bars of “Götterdämmerung,” are solidly forged.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026
Related: ‘He was heartbroken’: My husband’s kids abandoned him when he was dying.
From MarketWatch ● Nov. 4, 2026
He recalled how Pio Pico, who helped found the California Republican Party but ended up dying destitute, opened the structure in 1870 as a testament to what Latinos had contributed to their state.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 4, 2026
In the end, however, he was voted off the show in its dying moments, when comedian Romesh Ranganathan couldn't shake the idea that Blunt was in cahoots with the traitorous Maya Jama.
From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2026
He’s mostly known today for marrying a woman who was already married and for dying from hitting his head on a doorframe.
From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day
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