sudden death

American

noun

Sports.

an overtime period in which a tied contest is won and play is stopped immediately after one of the contestants scores, as in football, or goes ahead, as in golf.

sudden death British

noun

(in sports, etc) an extra game or contest to decide the winner of a tied competition
an unexpected or quick death

"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

Other Word Forms

sudden-death

adjective

Etymology

Origin of sudden death

First recorded in 1825–35

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.

See Examples For:

sudden death

Earl Spencer's emotional and defiant speech at her funeral added to that cloud of grievance hanging over Diana's sudden death.

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Not the fire, not the sudden death, not the exhausting fight to get back home.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

Graham entered politics just six weeks ago, when she was appointed to fill the Senate seat vacated by the sudden death of her brother, Lindsey Graham.

From Slate ● Aug. 26, 2026

Sen. Lindsey Graham’s sudden death on Saturday stirred up a mess of feelings.

From Salon ● Jul. 14, 2026

And despite her misgivings about the religious ramifications, Emma not only agreed she would publish this draft in case of his sudden death, she also helped him make it better.

From "Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith" by Deborah Heiligman

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