zombie

[ zom-bee ]

/ ˈzɒm bi /

See 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.

(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.

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In our third teacher-created PSAT practice test there are new and unique vocabulary terms you may have never heard of! Can you guess what they mean?

Question 1 of 10

seclusion

a false belief or opinion.

the matter that settles to the bottom of a liquid.

the state of being isolated, kept apart, or withdrawn into solitude.

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Sometimes 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

zolmitriptan, Zoloft, zolpidem, zolpidem tartrate, Zomba, zombie, zombie bank, zombify, Zomig, zona, zona fasciculata

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for zombie

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
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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|DAILY BEAST
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
It's not any kind of zombie state, or whatever your overheated imagination has thought up.
Sentiment, Inc.|Poul William Anderson
No one was in the stores, and no one was bothering with the zombie maze.
Makers|Cory Doctorow

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

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zombie