suicide

[ soo-uh-sahyd ]
/ ˈsu əˌsaɪd /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR suicide ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the intentional taking of one's own life.
destruction of one's own interests or prospects: Buying that house was financial suicide.
a person who intentionally takes his or her own life.

verb (used without object), su·i·cid·ed, su·i·cid·ing.

to commit suicide.

verb (used with object), su·i·cid·ed, su·i·cid·ing.

to kill (oneself).

QUIZZES

DO YOU KNOW THIS VOCABULARY FROM "THE HANDMAID'S TALE"?

"The Handmaid's Tale" was required reading for many of us in school. Everyone else has probably watched the very popular and addictive TV show. Do you remember this vocabulary from the book, and do you know what these terms mean?
Question 1 of 10
decorum
the act of or need for making up one's mind.
dignified propriety of behavior, speech, dress, etc.
a company of singers, especially an organized group employed in church service.
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Origin of suicide

1645–55; < New Latin suīcīdium, -cīda, equivalent to Latin suī of oneself, genitive singular of reflexive pronunciation + -cīdium, -cīda -cide

OTHER WORDS FROM suicide

an·ti·su·i·cide, adjective

Words nearby suicide

suharto, sui, sui generis, sui juris, suicidal, suicide, suicide bomber, suicide clause, suicide machine, suicide pact, suicide squeeze
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

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Words related to suicide

hara-kiri, self-destruction, self-immolation, seppuku

Example sentences from the Web for suicide

British Dictionary definitions for suicide

suicide
/ (ˈsuːɪˌsaɪd, ˈsjuː-) /

noun

the act or an instance of killing oneself intentionally
the self-inflicted ruin of one's own prospects or interestsa merger would be financial suicide
a person who kills himself intentionally
(modifier) reckless; extremely dangerousa suicide mission
(modifier) (of an action) undertaken or (of a person) undertaking an action in the knowledge that it will result in the death of the person performing it in order that maximum damage may be inflicted on an enemya suicide attack; suicide bomber

Word Origin for suicide

C17: from New Latin suīcīdium, from Latin suī of oneself + -cīdium, from caedere to kill
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

Medical definitions for suicide

suicide
[ sōō′ĭ-sīd′ ]

n.

The act or an instance of intentionally killing oneself.
One who commits suicide.
The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.