stone-dead

[ stohn-ded ]

/ ˈstoʊnˈdɛd /

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adjective

undeniably dead; completely lifeless.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

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Origin of stone-dead

1250–1300; Middle English (north) standed.See stone, dead

Words nearby stone-dead

stonecrop, stonecrop family, stone curlew, stonecutter, stoned, stone-dead, stone-deaf, stoneface, stonefish, stonefly, stone fruit

How to use stone-dead in a sentence

The cartoonist, better known as Charb, was shot dead Wednesday.
France Kills Charlie Hebdo Murderers|Nico Hines|January 9, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A policewoman was shot dead this morning while law enforcement searched for the Charlie Lebdo killers.
France Mourns—and Hunts|Nico Hines, Christopher Dickey|January 8, 2015|DAILY BEAST
My body used for his hard pleasure; a stone god gripping me in his hands.
‘A Gronking to Remember’ Speed Read: 8 Naughtiest Bits|Emily Shire|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
Absent a body, no one can say with absolute certainty whether Castro is dead, even if all signs point in that direction.
An Informant, a Missing American, and Juarez’s House of Death: Inside the 12-Year Cold Case of David Castro|Bill Conroy|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST

“The US cannot tolerate the idea of any rival economic entity,” Stone writes.
Oliver Stone’s Latest Dictator Suckup|James Kirchick|January 5, 2015|DAILY BEAST
A little boy of four was moved to passionate grief at the sight of a dead dog taken from a pond.
Children's Ways|James Sully
That evening in the gondola, with one old and two newer friends, is marked with a white stone in my recollection.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
Monsieur,” growls the baron, “stone walls have ears, you say if only they had tongues; what tales these could tell!
Checkmate|Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu
When he plays a sonata it is as if the composition rose from the dead and stood transfigured before you.
Music-Study in Germany|Amy Fay
A colossal steam "traveller" had ceaselessly carried great blocks of stone and long steel girders from point to point.
The Pit Town Coronet, Volume I (of 3)|Charles James Wills

British Dictionary definitions for stone-dead

stone-dead

adjective

completely lifeless

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