death toll

noun

: the number of people who die in an accident, disaster, war, etc.
Three people who were injured in the accident have died, pushing the death toll up to 116.
The virus's death toll is expected to rise.

Examples of death toll in a Sentence

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.
Meanwhile the death toll of Israel’s ensuing campaign in Gaza has since surpassed 75,000. Glenn Garner, Deadline, 7 June 2026 The death toll in Kyiv stands at six, with over 70 people injured, according to a statement from Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs. Tiago Ventura, Time, 2 June 2026 Determining the exact death toll has been complicated because several bodies were blown apart by the force of the explosion. ABC News, 1 June 2026 For Tomás, capturing recent history is a quantitative pursuit—subtract the post-famine population from the pre-famine population to unleash the death toll in all its horror. Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 1 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for death toll

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Death toll.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20toll. Accessed 10 Jun. 2026.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster