: no longer living
especially
: recently dead
—used of persons
Both of his parents are deceased.
deceased relatives
plural deceased
: a dead person
the will of the deceased
did not release the deceased's name until his family had been notified
Synonyms
Examples of deceased in a Sentence
Adjective
the recently deceased tenant was found by a concerned neighbor
Recent Examples on the Web
Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
The man was found with at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
An unfinished trailer showed glimpses of Mescal, 28, as Lucius Verus, the nephew of the original film’s villain Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who grows to idolize deceased gladiator Maximus (Crowe).
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Thursday's humpback whale in New Jersey is the latest whale species to have been found deceased along the Atlantic Coast this year, stretching from Florida to New England.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
The bodies of 12 deceased hostages have also been recovered.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2024
In 2003, the Washington Times ran a double-page spread that claimed all 36 deceased American presidents had acknowledged Moon’s preeminence.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Answer: Social Security survivor benefits are meant to help a deceased worker’s dependents.
—Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024
Tellez's deceased father, Robert Morlet, was also a freight truck driver.
—Paula Soria, The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2024
Crimesider Staff, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2018
Adjective
In an eerily sad close-to-home touch, Charley’s deceased lawyer dad — spotted in photos among his effects — is the actor’s own late father, William Hurt.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
The man was found with at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
An unfinished trailer showed glimpses of Mescal, 28, as Lucius Verus, the nephew of the original film’s villain Commodus (Joaquin Phoenix), who grows to idolize deceased gladiator Maximus (Crowe).
—Jack Smart, Peoplemag, 11 Apr. 2024
Thursday's humpback whale in New Jersey is the latest whale species to have been found deceased along the Atlantic Coast this year, stretching from Florida to New England.
—Emily Deletter, USA TODAY, 11 Apr. 2024
The bodies of 12 deceased hostages have also been recovered.
—Mary Kekatos, ABC News, 7 Apr. 2024
In 2003, the Washington Times ran a double-page spread that claimed all 36 deceased American presidents had acknowledged Moon’s preeminence.
—TIME, 4 Apr. 2024
Answer: Social Security survivor benefits are meant to help a deceased worker’s dependents.
—Liz Weston, San Diego Union-Tribune, 31 Mar. 2024
Tellez's deceased father, Robert Morlet, was also a freight truck driver.
—Paula Soria, The Arizona Republic, 31 Mar. 2024
Noun
GEDMatch is one of the databases used by the DNA Doe project, a non-profit that works to name the deceased who remain unidentified.
—Crimesider Staff, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deceased.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deceased
Cite this Entry
“Deceased.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deceased. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deceased
2 of 2 adjective
: no longer living
his deceased grandparents
Medical Definition
deceased
1 of 2 adjective
de·ceased
-ˈsēst 
: no longer living
especially
: recently dead
—used of persons
deceased
2 of 2 noun
plural deceased
: a dead person
the will of the deceased
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share