death

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noun \ ˈdeth \

Definition of death

1 a :a permanent cessation of all vital (see vital 2a) functions :the end of life

The cause of death has not been determined.

managed to escape death

prisoners were put to death

death threats

— compare brain death

b :an instance of dying

a disease causing many deaths

lived there until her death

2 a :the cause or occasion of loss of life

drinking was the death of him

b :a cause of ruin

the slander that was death to my character
—Wilkie Collins

The drought was death to the farm.

3 capitalized, folklore :the destroyer of life represented usually as a skeleton with a scythe

when death comes to take me away

4 :the state of being no longer alive :the state of being dead

5 a :the passing or destruction of something inanimate

the death of vaudeville

b :extinction

the death of the dinosaurs

6 law :civil death

7 :slaughter

death and destruction

8 Christian Science :the lie of life in matter :that which is unreal and untrue

— at death's door

:close to death :critically ill

— to death

:beyond endurance :excessively

bored to death

scared to death of spiders

I am sick to death of hearing your excuses.

Most high rollers prefer Atlantic City and Las Vegas, where they are comped to death and have more diversions.
—William G. Flanagan et al.

See death defined for English-language learners

See death defined for kids

Examples of death in a Sentence

birth, life, and eventual death
The newspaper did not report the cause of death.
People around the world mourned his death.
The accident resulted in two deaths.
The number of deaths from cancer is rising.
He died a violent death.
There has been a death in the family.
The general met his death on the battlefield.
the death of a marriage
Death could be seen lurking in the corner of the painting.

Recent Examples of death from the Web

There were more than 22,000 deaths in the U.S. from prescription opioids in 2015, an increase from 19,000 in 2014, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

— chris dolmetsch, Bloomberg.com, "More Drugmakers Get Subpoenas From Missouri Attorney General," 30 Aug. 2017
The restaurant owners at Mrs Winner’s called police when the pair began to act suspicious after a string of robberies at other fast-food restaurants. - At the time of the murders, Blakely was the youngest woman in Georgia to face the death penalty.

— ashley stoney, Essence.com, "Who Is The Real Falicia Blakely? Here Are Six Things To Know," 29 Aug. 2017
A toxicology report released Tuesday by the state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner shows that James Michael Short, 28, had a blood alcohol content of .24 based on a sample obtained on the date of his death.

— jane wester, charlotteobserver, "Pedestrian killed in CMPD crash had high blood alcohol level, records show," 29 Aug. 2017
Larry Bernard Williams, 20, has been charged in the deaths of his girlfriend and their son.

— by hannah morse, miamiherald, "A teen’s throat was cut. An infant died in a fire. And a man blames it on ‘the demon’," 28 Aug. 2017
Much of the uptick was due to Littlefinger’s dramatic death scene, and the Stark sisters finally joining forces to seek justice.

— yohana desta, HWD, "Game of Thrones: Proof That Everyone Really Loved That Bloody Character Death," 28 Aug. 2017
Abuse often leads to depression and medical problems in older patients — even death within a year of an abusive incident.

— barbara sadick, Kaiser Health News, "Elder Abuse: ERs Learn How To Protect A Vulnerable Population," 28 Aug. 2017
About 1% of those on canakinumab died from an infection during the multiyear trial, nearly double the rate of infection deaths on placebo; those who died were often older and had diabetes.

— jennifer couzin-frankel, Science | AAAS, "Anti-inflammatory cuts risk of heart attack," 27 Aug. 2017
Deputy Coroner Eric Hansen told the Times Herald an official cause of death can’t be confirmed until an autopsy is performed.

— tess koman, Cosmopolitan, "20-Year-Old Gets Suddenly Sick, Dies While Hiking With Her Friends," 24 Aug. 2017

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

Origin and Etymology of death

Middle English deeth, from Old English dēath; akin to Old Norse dauthi death, deyja to die — more at die

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: before 12th century

See Words from the same year

death Synonyms

Synonyms

curtains, decease, demise, dissolution, doom, end, exit, expiration, expiry, fate, grave, great divide, passage, passing, quietus, sleep

Antonyms

birth, nativity

Related Words

casualty, fatality; martyrdom, self-destruction, self-murder, self-slaughter, suicide; annihilation, destruction, ending, extermination, ruin; assassination, execution, killing, massacre, slaughter

Near Antonyms

existence, life; creation, genesis, origination, rise

DEATH Defined for English Language Learners

death

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noun

Definition of death for English Language Learners

: the end of life : the time when someone or something dies
: the ending of a particular person's life
: the permanent end of something that is not alive : the ruin or destruction of something

DEATH Defined for Kids

death

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noun \ ˈdeth \

Definition of death for Students

1 :the end or ending of life

2 :the cause of loss of life

Drinking will be the death of him.

3 :the state of being dead

He was more famous in death than in life.

4 :²ruin 1, extinction

DVDs meant the death of videotape.

—

deathlike

\-ˌlīk\ adjective

— to death

:¹very 1, extremely

We were scared to death.

Medical Dictionary

death

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noun \ ˈdeth \

medical Definition of death

1 :the irreversible cessation of all vital functions especially as indicated by permanent stoppage of the heart, respiration, and brain activity :the end of life — see brain death

2 :the cause or occasion of loss of life