1
: characterized by brain death
2
: lacking intelligence or vitality
brain-dead fools

Examples of brain-dead in a Sentence

it seems like she's always doing some brain-dead thing or another
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Newkirk said her daughter was declared brain-dead and placed on a ventilator. Minyvonne Burke, NBC news, 17 June 2025 The Pitt went for its series premiere; another early-season episode that involved, among other things, Dr. Robby (Noah Wyle) comforting a pair of siblings about their dying father; and the rather devastating episode involving a 6-year-old drowning victim and a brain-dead college student. Joe Reid, Vulture, 14 June 2025 Thankfully, Mario Kart World isn’t as brain-dead and overly corporate as the above sounds. Ollie Barder, Forbes.com, 8 June 2025 Some argue that a more recent and more nuanced example of reproductive oppression is currently happening in Georgia, where Adriana Smith, a 30-year-old nurse and mother, was declared brain-dead after suffering a medical emergency. Maia Niguel Hoskin, Forbes.com, 31 May 2025 See All Example Sentences for brain-dead

Word History

First Known Use

1972, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of brain-dead was in 1972

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Cite this Entry

“Brain-dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brain-dead. Accessed 29 Jun. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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