Definition of fatal
1 obsolete : fated
2 : fateful a fatal hour
3a : of or relating to fate … this science sets a fatal necessity on things … — H. O. Taylorb : resembling fate in proceeding according to a fixed sequencec : determining one's fate the fatal flaw in this dazzling woman: a total lack of taste — Marya Mannes
4a : causing death a fatal crash a fatal disease a fatal woundb : bringing ruin a fatal attraction to gamblingc : causing failure a fatal design flaw Lack of sufficient support was fatal to his campaign.
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Examples of fatal in a Sentence
a disease that is often fatal
a chemical that can be fatal to birds
She made a fatal mistake.
Recent Examples of fatal from the Web
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The story is the strongest embodiment of what seems to be the book’s prevailing theme: our human attraction, often fatal, to the unknown.
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The airline, which had two fatal plane crashes in 2014, said in a statement the plane landed safely at 11:41 p.m., only about 30 minutes after taking off.
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A shooting at a Hialeah motel on Sunday started with an argument in a parking lot and ended with a fatal shooting, police said Tuesday in releasing more details and the names of the men involved.
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The Columbus Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/2r1jo4q ) the state’s 4,149 unintentional fatal overdoses in 2016 are a 36 percent increase from the previous year when just over 3,000 deaths were reported.
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Lloyd's children were home at the time of the fatal attack and hiding at the back of the apartment, Berry said.
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Jones was convicted of murder in 1984 in the death of a 15-month-old who was given a fatal injection.
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READ MORE: 19 and Coming Into His Own, Until a Fatal Night of Hazing Penn State sophomore Timothy Piazza lay in pain on the floor of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity house.
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The bear was struck multiple times and suffered fatal injuries, according to Bejar.
These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'fatal'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Origin and Etymology of fatal
Middle English, from Latin fatalis, from fatum fate
First Known Use: 14th century
Synonym Discussion of fatal
FATAL Defined for English Language Learners
fatal
playDefinition of fatal for English Language Learners
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: causing death
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: causing ruin or failure
FATAL Defined for Kids
Medical Dictionary
Law Dictionary
fatal
Legal Definition of fatal
1 : causing failure of a legal claim or cause of action a fatal defect in the proceedings — W. R. LaFave and J. H. Israel
2 : making something (as a contract) invalid or unenforceable there is a fatal indefiniteness with the result that the agreement is void — J. D. Calamari and J. M. Perillo
fatally
adverbLearn More about fatal
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See words that rhyme with fatal Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for fatal Spanish Central: Translation of fatal Nglish: Translation of fatal for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of fatal for Arabic speakers
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