brain death

noun

Definition of brain death

: final cessation of activity in the central nervous system especially as indicated by a flat electroencephalogram for a predetermined length of time

Examples of brain death in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The congregation at Acts Full Gospel Church in Oakland gave Winkfield a standing ovation on Friday for fighting to keep her daughter on life support and taking on the medical establishment in the brain death debate between science and religion. — NBC News, "'They are not God': Mother of girl declared dead twice criticizes doctors," 9 July 2018 In Pennsylvania and most states, a diagnosis of brain death is enough to declare someone legally dead, meaning he or she can be taken off life support. — Mari A. Schaefer, Philly.com, "Declared brain dead almost 5 years ago, Calif. teen's life finally ends in N.J.," 29 June 2018 Children's Hospital lawyers had argued that the family did not subject McMath to tests accepted by the American Medical Association to determine brain death. — CBS News, "Jahi McMath, girl at center of debate over brain death, dies, mother says," 29 June 2018 Winkfield refused to accept the California doctors’ conclusion and took her daughter to New Jersey, a state that accommodates religions that don’t recognize brain death. — NBC News, "'They are not God': Mother of girl declared dead twice criticizes doctors," 9 July 2018 Winkfield refused to accept the California doctors' conclusions and took her daughter to New Jersey, a state that accommodates religions that don't recognize brain death. — Paul Elias, Fox News, "Mother of girl declared dead twice slams doctors at funeral," 7 July 2018 In April, Areen Chakrabarti suffered smoke inhalation in a fire at his Bridesburg home, leading to what doctors at CHOP diagnosed as brain death. — Mari A. Schaefer, Philly.com, "Declared brain dead almost 5 years ago, Calif. teen's life finally ends in N.J.," 29 June 2018 McMath's case sparked debate over brain death and religious beliefs. — CBS News, "Jahi McMath, girl at center of debate over brain death, dies, mother says," 29 June 2018 Children’s Hospital lawyers had argued that the family did not subject McMath to tests accepted by the American Medical Association to determine brain death. — NBC News, "Girl declared brain-dead 5 years ago dies in California," 29 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'brain death.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about brain death

Dictionary Entries near brain death

Statistics for brain death

Last Updated

27 Sep 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for brain death

The first known use of brain death was in 1921

See more words from the same year

Keep scrolling for more

More Definitions for brain death

brain death

noun

English Language Learners Definition of brain death

medical : the condition of having no brain function : the end of activity in the brain

See the full definition for brain death in the English Language Learners Dictionary

brain death

noun

Medical Definition of brain death

: final cessation of activity in the central nervous system especially as indicated by a flat electroencephalogram for a predetermined length of time

brain death

noun

\ˈbrān-ˌdeth\

Legal Definition of brain death

: the final stopping of activity in the central nervous system especially as indicated by a flat electroencephalogram for a usually statutorily predetermined period of time