demise

noun

de·mise | \ di-ˈmīz

Definition of demise

(Entry 1 of 2)

1a : death

b : a cessation of existence or activity

c : a loss of position or status

2 : the conveyance of an estate

3 : transfer of the sovereignty to a successor

demise

verb

demised; demising

Definition of demise (Entry 2 of 2)

transitive verb

1 : to convey by will or lease demise an estate

2 : to transmit by succession or inheritance

3 obsolete : convey, give

intransitive verb

1 : die, decease

2 : to pass by descent or bequest the property has demised to the king's heirs

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Examples of demise in a Sentence

Noun

… invited visitors to play a game in which points are awarded to those who predict the demise of yet another overhyped dot-com. — Jeff Goodell, Rolling Stone, 14 Sept. 2000 This elegant little book is essential reading for anyone interested in the demise, the terminal silliness, of our culture. — John Irving, New York Times Book Review, 6 Apr. 1997 Like books, board games appear headed for imminent demise at the hands of cathode-ray terminals. — Will Manley, Booklist, 1 Mar. 1995 She had no property at the time of her demise. The musician met an untimely demise. We have not had truly local news coverage since the town newspaper's demise three years ago. Losing this game will mean the team's demise.

Verb

our much beloved, recently demised leader

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

So if running cities like corporations is contributing to the demise of small businesses and turning citizens into consumers, why are these ideas still so popular? — Rebecca Jennings, Vox, "Not even shopping locally can save your favorite mom-and-pop — the problem is much, much bigger than that.," 21 Nov. 2018 NewsBusters managing editor Curtis Houck identifies liberal bias in the media for a living but isn’t sure if politics contributed to the demise of the far-left talk shows. — Brian Flood, Fox News, "Joel McHale's canceled Netflix series highlights streaming giant's talk-show problem," 30 Aug. 2018 Kaley Cuoco later revealed that Ryan Sweeting had become addicted to prescription painkillers and was making no effort to get sober, leading to the demise of their union. — Vogue, "Celebrity Divorces: 29 of the Most High-Profile Breakups," 27 July 2018 One of the most successful of the early fan sites eventually led to the demise of the secret R.E.M. mailing list. — Nancy Baym, WIRED, "Book Excerpt: How Music Fans Built the Internet," 10 July 2018 But the looming economic recession of the late 2000s led to the demise of his empire. — Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press, "This candidate wants to be Michigan's governor — then president," 10 May 2018 The 45th president’s knack for escaping brushes with his own demise makes the cartoon character Road Runner look like a novice. — Gregg Opelka, WSJ, "From ‘The Apprentice’ to ‘The Impeachment’," 10 May 2018 Once a thriving shopping and entertainment destination, the strip mall fell on hard times in the 1990s, with its demise hastened by the closure of a six-screen movie theater in 1999. — Parker Leavitt, azcentral, "Readers' picks: Worst East Valley eyesores," 24 Dec. 2015 Blame the soaring rents, the aging proprietors, or a shift in how young people dine—whatever the reason for the taberna’s demise, in the span of a generation, Madrid stands to lose one of its most remarkable social traditions. — Benjamin Kemper, Condé Nast Traveler, "Tapas Crawling With Madrid’s 'Taberna King'," 26 Sep. 2018

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

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Last Updated

9 May 2019

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The first known use of demise was in the 15th century

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More Definitions for demise

demise

noun

English Language Learners Definition of demise

formal

: an end of life

: the end of something that is thought of as being like a death

See the full definition for demise in the English Language Learners Dictionary

demise

noun

de·mise | \ di-ˈmīz

Kids Definition of demise

1 : death sense 1 And often the court waited until the demise of two or three potters before searching out their replacements.— Linda Sue Park, A Single Shard

2 : an ending of existence or activity the demise of a newspaper