1
: deprived of life : no longer alive
a dead tree
dead soldiers
missing and presumed dead
2
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
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: no longer active : extinct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
7
: devoid of former occupants
dead villages
deadness
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 dead—Colossians 2:12 (Revised Standard Version)
3
: the time of greatest quiet
the dead of night
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
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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