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near-death experience

American

[neer-deth ik-speer-ee-uhns] / ˈnɪərˈdɛθ ɪkˌspɪər i əns /

a sensation or vision, as of the afterlife, reported by a person who has come close to death. nde, NDE

near-death experience British

noun

NDE. an experience, instances of which have been widely reported, in which a person near death is apparently outside his body and aware of it and the attendant circumstances as separate from him

"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

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.

And the Detroit stalwarts survived their own near-death experience during the 2007-09 recession, when U.S. taxpayers bailed out GM and Chrysler.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

What have you found to be one of the positives — besides surviving — of your near-death experience?

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 13, 2026

West Ham striker Michail Antonio's near-death experience has changed him, compelling him to engage with a recovery process containing mental and physical obstacles.

From BBC • May 16, 2025

The portrayal of Lochlan’s near-death experience might have been more realistic than his poisoning.

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2025

Leo had heard all about his near-death experience in the nymphaeum in Rome with Jason and Piper.

From "Blood of Olympus" by Rick Riordan

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023