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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

His online footprint ultimately led police to his hospital bedside in Glasgow, where he was recovering from a genuine near-death experience with Covid.

From BBC • Aug. 11, 2025

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

From Salon • Apr. 10, 2025

She says it was the dress she wore during a near-death experience.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 11, 2025

So one thing I learn is that maybe everyone should have a near-death experience now and then.

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements

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