keel over
phrasal verb
keeled over; keeling over; keels over
informal
: to fall down suddenly
He just keeled over and died from a heart attack.
I almost keeled over with/in laughter.
Examples of keel over in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dunning’s deadpan style ensures none of the humor keels over to the snide.
—
Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2025
Almighty God, Who sees and knows all things, And for whom all things are possible,
May this guy keel over of a heart attack
Or something.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
In a video first posted to the Mississippi legislature’s YouTube page that has since been deleted but posted elsewhere, Hosemann, 77, can be seen standing at the podium before bowing his head, slowly keeling over into the microphone, and then collapsing to the side.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 20 Feb. 2025
The Boss The boss knew something was wrong when the hens stopped keeling over.
—Meridith Kohut, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
For Now: Barca star will return during legal battle
Try not to keel over in shock but Barcelona have secured permission to continue fielding Dani Olmo.
—Phil Hay, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
In temperatures that touched 30C (86F) and humidity that reached 90 per cent, their identity was reduced to not keeling over and using regular intervals to take on water.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 31 July 2024
Otherwise healthy workers keel over at their desks after long stretches of overtime or after consummating a high-pressure deal, usually from a stroke or heart attack.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
The worst of them came on Sept. 3, 2017, when Scott was discovered by park security keeled over a bench in California Adventure near the 1901 Lounge.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024
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.
Randy Myers, The Mercury News, 7 Mar. 2025
Almighty God, Who sees and knows all things, And for whom all things are possible,
May this guy keel over of a heart attack
Or something.
—Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, 10 Mar. 2025
In a video first posted to the Mississippi legislature’s YouTube page that has since been deleted but posted elsewhere, Hosemann, 77, can be seen standing at the podium before bowing his head, slowly keeling over into the microphone, and then collapsing to the side.
—Brady Knox, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 20 Feb. 2025
The Boss The boss knew something was wrong when the hens stopped keeling over.
—Meridith Kohut, New York Times, 26 Dec. 2024
For Now: Barca star will return during legal battle
Try not to keel over in shock but Barcelona have secured permission to continue fielding Dani Olmo.
—Phil Hay, The Athletic, 9 Jan. 2025
In temperatures that touched 30C (86F) and humidity that reached 90 per cent, their identity was reduced to not keeling over and using regular intervals to take on water.
—George Caulkin, The Athletic, 31 July 2024
Otherwise healthy workers keel over at their desks after long stretches of overtime or after consummating a high-pressure deal, usually from a stroke or heart attack.
—Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 22 Sep. 2024
The worst of them came on Sept. 3, 2017, when Scott was discovered by park security keeled over a bench in California Adventure near the 1901 Lounge.
—Seth Abramovitch, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Keel over.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/keel%20over. Accessed 5 May. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share