zombie

[zom-bee]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR zombie ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

(in voodoo)

the body of a dead person given the semblance of life, but mute and will-less, by a supernatural force, usually for some evil purpose.
the supernatural force itself.

Informal.

a person whose behavior or responses are wooden, listless, or seemingly rote; automaton.
an eccentric or peculiar person.

a snake god worshiped in West Indian and Brazilian religious practices of African origin.

a tall drink made typically with several kinds of rum, citrus juice, and often apricot liqueur.

Canadian Slang. an army conscript assigned to home defense during World War II.

Origin of zombie

1810–20; apparently < Kongo or Kimbundu nzambi god

Related formszom·bi·ism, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Related Words for zombie

figure, personality, phantom, devil, demon, soul, shadow, specter, vision, vampire, laborer, clone, robot, agent, grind, puppet, drudge, automaton, case, customer

Examples from the Web for zombie

Contemporary Examples of zombie

But the title of Best Death definitely belongs to Bob Stookey, who got bitten by a zombie then captured by cannibals.
The Red Viper, Zoe Barnes, and the Best Fictional Deaths of 2014
Melissa Leon
January 1, 2015
Their last hope for saving humanity, Eugene, turned out to be a liar with no idea how to stop the zombie virus.
‘Walking Dead’ Showrunner Scott Gimple Teases ‘Darker, Weirder’ Times Ahead
Melissa Leon
December 2, 2014
If you were in the zombie apocalypse, would you be a hunter, the hunted, or Tyreese?
Andrew Lincoln Wants Rick to End With Johnny Cash and the Sunset
Melissa Leon
October 14, 2014
But it also happened in the zombie game DayZ to video game writer Kim Correa.
Gaming Misogyny Gets Infinite Lives: Zoe Quinn, Virtual Rape, and Sexism
Amanda Marcotte
August 22, 2014
I hate to break the news, but Molly Shannon would definitely not make it through the zombie apocalypse.
Molly Shannon on ‘Life After Beth,’ Turning 50, and ‘Never Been Kissed’
Melissa Leon
August 17, 2014

Historical Examples of zombie

It was soon plain that she was a zombie with about ten words in her vocabulary.
The Planet Strappers
Raymond Zinke Gallun
No one was in the stores, and no one was bothering with the zombie maze.
Makers
Cory Doctorow
I logged back in and there I was, still on the deck of the Zombie Charger, waiting for someone to wind me up.
Little Brother
Cory Doctorow
A mad enterprise indeed—a ghost and a zombie, going to seek out a foe whose numbers and whose might grew ever more apparent.
World of the Drone
Robert Abernathy
One word from Douglas and she had become a zombie—a mindless muscle preparation that existed only to obey.
The Lani People
J. F. Bone

British Dictionary definitions for zombie

zombie

zombi

noun plural -bies or -bis

a person who is or appears to be lifeless, apathetic, or totally lacking in independent judgment; automaton

a supernatural spirit that reanimates a dead body

a corpse brought to life in this manner

the snake god of voodoo cults in the West Indies, esp Haiti, and in scattered areas of the southern US

the python god revered in parts of West Africa

a piece of computer code that instructs an infected computer to send a virus on to other computer systems

Derived Formszombiism, noun

Word Origin for zombie

from Kongo zumbi good-luck fetish

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

Word Origin and History for zombie

1871, of West African origin (cf. Kikongo zumbi "fetish;" Kimbundu nzambi "god"), originally the name of a snake god, later with meaning "reanimated corpse" in voodoo cult. But perhaps also from Louisiana creole word meaning "phantom, ghost," from Spanish sombra "shade, ghost." Sense "slow-witted person" is recorded from 1936.