near-death experience

American  

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

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

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near-death experience British  

noun

1.  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

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Example Sentences

The aftermath of his near-death experience, he says, was just as profound.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 15, 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

Indeed, after the industry’s near-death experience during the pandemic, they’ve become more popular than ever.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Although Alice never ran the risk of actually perishing in Wonderland, Arisu is another matter because of the very nature of the Borderland and how you gain entry through a near-death experience.

From Salon • Sep. 23, 2025

Every truck that whips past gives her a near-death experience.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti