verb
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of dying
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!"
Vocabulary lists containing dying
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.
These are the dying days of what has become known as the "hacking scandal".
From BBC • Jul. 8, 2026
"It made me ask: Is it worth being in this country, studying here, and in the end dying?" she said.
From Barron's • Jul. 5, 2026
He asks us to imagine the Eye of Providence looking down on America on the night that Adams and Jefferson were dying.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 2, 2026
The enzyme telomerase lengthens telomeres, helping protect chromosomes and preventing cells from dying.
From Science Daily • Jul. 1, 2026
“A story about a rabbi named Jairus, who pleaded with Jesus. ‘My daughter is dying.
From "Sir Fig Newton and the Science of Persistence" by Sonja Thomas
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
