death wish

noun

: the conscious or unconscious desire for the death of oneself or of another

Examples of death wish in a Sentence

Have you seen the way she drives? She must have a death wish.
Recent Examples on the Web Late in January, Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan went online to post a death wish aimed at San Francisco politicians. Irina Ivanova, Fortune, 9 Feb. 2024 Relying on the very system that Trump previously poured tens of millions of dollars into destroying feels otherwise, at best, like a nation fulfilling a death wish. Dell Cameron, WIRED, 25 Aug. 2023 Jason Statham returns as Jonas Taylor, a man with two first names and a death wish, but the real star is all of the Megs and their killing spree. Vulture, 9 May 2023 There’s Tom Cruise’s latest cinematic death wish, an indie comedy, the return of everybody’s favorite vampires, some surprisingly quick-turnaround VOD releases, and more. James Grebey, Vulture, 14 July 2023 Maybe even a death wish? Lili Loofbourow, Washington Post, 23 Mar. 2023 Every Slayer has a death wish. Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 25 Oct. 2021 But what of the death wish? David Mamet, National Review, 17 Sep. 2020 Some people wondered if Adam had a death wish. Christopher Solomon, Outside Online, 22 Mar. 2018

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

Word History

First Known Use

1856, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of death wish was in 1856

Dictionary Entries Near death wish

Cite this Entry

“Death wish.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/death%20wish. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Medical Definition

death wish

noun
: the conscious or unconscious desire for the death of another or of oneself

called also destrudo

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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