dead

1 of 3

adjective

1
: deprived of life : no longer alive
a dead tree
dead soldiers
missing and presumed dead
2
a(1)
: having the appearance of death : deathly
in a dead faint
(2)
: lacking power to move, feel, or respond : numb
my arm feels dead
b
: very tired
Our legs were completely dead after the hike.
c(1)
: incapable of being stirred emotionally or intellectually : unresponsive
a heart dead to pity
felt dead inside
(2)
: grown cold : extinguished
dead coals
3
a
: inanimate, inert
dead matter
b
: barren, infertile
dead soil
c
: no longer producing or functioning : exhausted
a dead battery
4
a(1)
: lacking power or effect
a dead law
(2)
: no longer having interest, relevance, or significance
a dead issue
b
: no longer in use : obsolete
a dead language
c
: no longer active : extinct
a dead volcano
d
: lacking in gaiety or animation
a dead party
e(1)
: lacking in commercial activity : quiet
The city is dead after five o'clock.
(2)
: commercially idle or unproductive
dead capital
f
: lacking elasticity (see elasticity sense 1a)
a dead tennis ball
g
: being out of action or out of use
The phone went dead.
specifically, electrical engineering : free from any connection to a source of voltage and free from electric charges
a dead electrical circuit
h(1)
sports and games : being out of play
a dead ball
(2)
croquet : temporarily forbidden to play or to make a certain play
5
a
: not running or circulating : stagnant
dead water
b
: not turning
the dead center of a lathe
c
mechanical engineering : not imparting motion or power although otherwise functioning
a dead rear axle
d
: lacking warmth, vigor, or taste
The fire was dead.
a dead wine
6
a
: absolutely uniform
a dead level of mediocrity
b(1)
: unerring
a dead shot with a rifle
(2)
: exact
dead center of the target
(3)
: certain to be doomed
he's dead if he's late for curfew
(4)
: irrevocable
a dead loss
c
: abrupt
brought to a dead stop
d(1)
: complete, absolute
a dead silence
(2)
: all-out
caught it on the dead run
7
: devoid of former occupants
dead villages
deadness noun

dead

2 of 3

noun

plural dead
1
: someone who is no longer alive : one that is dead (see dead entry 1 sense 1)
usually used collectively
They were among the dead.
2
: the state of being dead
raised him from the deadColossians 2:12 (Revised Standard Version)
3
: the time of greatest quiet
the dead of night

dead

3 of 3

adverb

1
: absolutely, utterly
dead certain
finished dead last
The room became dead quiet.Farley Mowat
2
: suddenly and completely
stopped dead in his tracks
3
: directly
dead ahead
Phrases
dead in the water
1
: incapable of being effective : stalled
peace talks were dead in the water
2
: as good as dead : doomed
most books are dead in the water long before their publicationPhillip Lopate
dead to rights
: with no chance of escape or excuse : red-handed
had him dead to rights for the robbery
over one's dead body
: only by overcoming one's utter and determined resistance
vows that they'll raise his taxes over his dead body
Choose the Right Synonym for dead

dead, defunct, deceased, departed, late mean devoid of life.

dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (such as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life.

a dead, listless performance

defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation.

a defunct television series

deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently.

deceased is the preferred term in legal use.

the estate of the deceased

departed is used usually as a euphemism.

our departed sister

late is used especially with reference to a person in a specific relation or status.

the company's late president

Examples of dead in a Sentence

Adjective Her husband is dead. He died last year. He was found dead in his apartment yesterday. He lay dead on the floor. The lost mountain climbers were believed dead. The poster said that the robbers were wanted dead or alive. Our legs were completely dead after hiking all day. I'm dead if I come in late for work again. If I ever get my hands on you, you're dead! Noun By the end of the war, there were over two million dead. He began his journey in the dead of winter. Adverb She's dead certain that she can finish the job. We were dead tired by the end of the day. He's not joking. In fact, he's dead serious. They were both dead drunk and passed out on the floor. She finished the race dead last.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
Some 100 hostages are still inside Gaza, around a third of whom are believed to be dead. Ami Bentov, Tia Goldenberg, Samy Magdy and Joseph Krauss, Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2024 Some 100 hostages remain, about a third believed to be dead. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 27 Oct. 2024
Noun
For five years, the unclaimed dead of Dallas and Tarrant counties were delivered to the University of North Texas Health Science Center in Fort Worth. Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News, 2 Oct. 2024 With cap-and-trade dead in the Oregon Legislature, Brown had issued an executive order mandating statewide controls on greenhouse gas emissions. Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 13 Sep. 2024
Adverb
Job growth is poor, and the state finishes dead last for new business formations. Scott Cohn, CNBC, 16 Oct. 2024 That same study also found that among millennials and Gen Z’s top three priorities, their paycheck came dead last. Alena Botros, Fortune, 15 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for dead 

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'dead.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Noun, and Adverb

Middle English deed, from Old English dēad; akin to Old Norse dauthr dead, deyja to die, Old High German tōt dead — more at die

First Known Use

Adjective

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

before the 12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Adverb

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of dead was before the 12th century

Dictionary Entries Near dead

Cite this Entry

“Dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dead. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

Kids Definition

dead

1 of 3 adjective
1
: deprived of life : no longer alive
2
a
: having the appearance of death : deathly
in a dead faint
c
: very tired
the trip was really tiring; I'm dead
d
: not reacting : insensitive
dead to pity
e
: burned out : grown cold
dead coals
3
a
: not naturally having life : inanimate
dead matter
b
: no longer producing or functioning
dead battery
4
a
: no longer in use or effect : obsolete
dead language
b
: no longer active : extinct
dead volcano
c
: not lively
a dead party
d
: lacking in commercial activity : quiet
e
: lacking spring
dead tennis ball
f
: being out of action or out of use
a dead telephone line
g
: being out of play
a dead ball
5
: not running or circulating : stagnant
dead air
6
a
: absolutely uniform
the dead level of the prairie
b
: unerring, exact
a dead shot
dead center of the target
c
: being sudden and complete
a dead stop
deadness noun

dead

2 of 3 noun
plural dead
1
plural : those that are dead
the living and the dead
2
: the time of greatest quiet or least activity
dead of night
dead of winter

dead

3 of 3 adverb
1
: to the highest degree
dead right
2
: suddenly and completely
stopped dead
3
: straight entry 2
dead ahead

Medical Definition

dead

1 of 2 adjective
1
: deprived of life : having died
dead of scarlet fever
2
: lacking power to move, feel, or respond : numb

dead

2 of 2 noun
plural dead
: one that is dead
usually used collectively

More from Merriam-Webster on dead

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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