sudden death

American  

noun

Sports.

1. 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.

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sudden death British  

noun

1. (in sports, etc) an extra game or contest to decide the winner of a tied competition

2. an unexpected or quick death

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Other Word Forms

• sudden-death
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of sudden death

First recorded in 1825–35

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

sudden death

Aaron is part of a men's bereavement campaign run by the charity 2wish, external, which supports those affected by sudden death in young people.

From BBC ● Oct. 8, 2026

Atherosclerosis is the primary underlying cause of cardiovascular disease, which can eventually appear as a heart attack, stroke or sudden death.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026

Cregger wrote Weapons not to capitalize on that modest triumph, but in a haze of grief over the sudden death of Moore, who fell off a balcony in 2021.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 9, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 1, 2026

A sudden death, he had explained, the way death often came to those of great age.

From "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry