zombie

[ zom-bee ]

/ ˈzɒm bi /

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noun

(in Vodou)

a mute and will-less body, robbed of its soul and given the semblance of life by a supernatural force, usually for manual labor or some evil purpose.
the supernatural force itself.

(in popular culture) an undead creature with a reanimated human body, typically depicted in science fiction or horror stories as contagious to the living by bite and vulnerable only to serious head trauma: In the movie, survivors of the apocalypse try to build a barricade to keep the zombies out.

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.

adjective

of or relating to something that was declared concluded, finished, or dead, but surprisingly continues to linger, or comes back in a different version: zombie legislation that was defeated last session;resuscitating zombie corporations through debt restructuring;a zombie ex who texts you out of the blue looking for a hookup.

QUIZ

THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

Do you know the difference between everyday US and UK terminology? Test yourself with this quiz on words that differ across the Atlantic.

Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Rarely zom·bi .

Origin of zombie

First recorded in 1810–20; from Louisiana French, Haitian Creole zonbi, from a Bantu language, e.g., Kongo nzambi “god,” zumbi “fetish,” or Kimbundu nzambi “god”

OTHER WORDS FROM zombie

zom·bi·ism, noun

Words nearby zombie

Zollner illusion, Zollverein, Zoloft, zolpidem, Zomba, zombie, zombie bank, zombify, zonal, zonal geranium, zonal soil

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use zombie in a sentence

Derrickson was into what she calls “weirdo culture” before they started the business, mostly cosplay and zombies.
Someone out there wants to adopt your creepy toys. There’s a matchmaker for that.|Maureen O'Hagan|October 29, 2020|Washington Post
If even a few of these zombie-like microbes survive across geological time it has deep implications for life in the solar system and beyond.
Preserving a Sense of Wonder in DNA - Issue 92: Frontiers|Virat Markandeya|October 28, 2020|Nautilus
Manipulation on major social channels happens frequently when people create zombie accounts to flood content with fake “likes” and “views” to affect the viewed content.
3 reforms social media platforms should make in light of ‘The Social Dilemma’|Walter Thompson|October 22, 2020|TechCrunch
They suspect zombie-worm larvae drift in the water until they find some whale bones.
Whales get a second life as deep-sea buffets|Stephen Ornes|October 15, 2020|Science News For Students

So-called “zombie fires” may be burning in Arctic peatlands, where approximately half of this summer’s fires have occurred.
What wildfires in Brazil, Siberia, and the US West have in common|Lili Pike|September 17, 2020|Vox
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
In the respectable guise of religious liberty, the zombie-like Culture War soldiers on.
RFRA Madness: What’s Next for Anti-Democratic ‘Religious Exemptions’|Jay Michaelson|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ad after ad I saw described Hagan as a “rubber stamp,” almost zombie-esque follower of Obama.
In North Carolina, GOP Overreach May Be More Unpopular Than Obama|Dean Obeidallah|November 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We did a bit on the show where we talked about Republican zombie-lies—that when Republicans tell lies, they just never die.
Bill Maher: Yes, I Can Generalize About Muslims|Marlow Stern|October 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was soon plain that she was a zombie with about ten words in her vocabulary.
The Planet Strappers|Raymond Zinke Gallun
Thousands of people suddenly began marching zombie-like into the woods where they vanished into a black pit.
The Colors of Space|Marion Zimmer Bradley
My character was a swabbie on the pirate ship Zombie Charger, and he'd wound down while I'd been offline.
Little Brother|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
It was as though the blow had not been struck; as though this were some kind of a moving, breathing zombie.
Ten From Infinity|Paul W. Fairman

British Dictionary definitions for zombie

zombie

zombi

/ (ˈzɒmbɪ) /

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 forms of zombie

zombiism, 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

zombie

Origin of zombie

OTHER WORDS FROM zombie

Words nearby zombie

Words related to zombie

How to use zombie in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for zombie

zombi

Derived forms of zombie

Word Origin for zombie