zombie

noun

zom·bie | \ ˈzäm-bē

variants: or less commonly zombi

Definition of zombie

1a : a will-less and speechless human (as in voodoo belief and in fictional stories) held to have died and been supernaturally reanimated

b : the supernatural power that according to voodoo belief may enter into and reanimate a dead body

2a : a person held to resemble the so-called walking dead especially : automaton

b : a person markedly strange in appearance or behavior

3 : a mixed drink made of several kinds of rum, liqueur, and fruit juice

Other Words from zombie Example Sentences Learn More about zombie

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Other words from zombie

zombielike or zombie-like \ˈzäm-bē-ˌlīk

\ adjective

… a morning rush of zombielike office workers, all starved for caffeine and clamoring for cappuccino. —Bob Filipczak

zomboid \ˈzäm-ˌbȯid

\ adjective

This is a poetry eerily populated with ghosts and mummies and zomboid creatures who go on living though dead from love. —Patrick McGarth

Examples of zombie in a Sentence

If I don't go to bed early I'll be a zombie tomorrow. His students usually sat there in the classroom like zombies.

Recent Examples on the Web

The aliens have tagged the adults of the world with a device that leaves them in a zombie-like state. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "A transgender girl rises up against alien invaders in Rich Larson’s novel Annex," 8 July 2018 One clip sees Gomez gargle an eyeball, roll–back zombie eyes and eat icing off her leg with a butcher’s knife. — Lars Brandle, Billboard, "Selena Gomez Turns Scream Queen for Petra Collins' New Horror Film: Watch the Teaser," 21 June 2018 Image Never underestimate the ability of the French to find deep meaning in the zombie apocalypse. — Jason Zinoman, New York Times, "Review: In ‘The Night Eats the World,’ Zombie Apocalypse Now, Again," 12 July 2018 Andrew Lincoln, who plays the central character in AMC's long-running, zombie apocalypse drama, will leave during the upcoming Season 9, according to news reports. — Bill Keveney, USA TODAY, "Reports: Andrew Lincoln to leave 'The Walking Dead' during upcoming Season 9," 29 May 2018 After surviving Jack the Ripper’s rampage, put some spook in your spokes with a zombie bike ride, or play it safe by hitting up a street fair with more than 120 vendors. — Sarah Bahr, Indianapolis Star, "Ultimate Indiana bucket list: 50+ things to do in Indianapolis and around the state," 11 July 2018 Ken Jeong and Daniel Dae Kim wonderfully portrayed those roles in Community and Five-0, respectively, while Yeun is probably best known for being a leading man in the spooky zombie drama The Walking Dead. — Devon Ivie, GQ, "Steven Yeun Wants to Remind You He’s Not the Only Asian on TV," 28 June 2018 Being too thin was synonymous with the zombie addicts of our streets. — Sonya Renee Taylor, SELF, "The House Next Door," 26 June 2018 But, does that count out a zombie Ned spinoff series? — Matt Miller, Esquire, "Sean Bean Finally Solves the Mystery of Ned Stark's Final Words in Game of Thrones," 13 Mar. 2018

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

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Statistics for zombie

Last Updated

19 Sep 2018

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for zombie

The first known use of zombie was circa 1871

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More Definitions for zombie

zombie

noun

Financial Definition of zombie

What It Is

A zombie is a company that continues to operate even though its liabilities exceed its assets (in other words, it has a net worth of zero).

How It Works

Let's say Bank XYZ has $1 billion in assets (loans it has made to customers) and $2 billion in liabilities (delinquent loans, interest payments due to customers, debt it may have borrowed, etc.). Bank XYZ could declare bankruptcy and default on its obligations at any time, but for now it is still alive.

Why It Matters

Zombies are very risky investments because they could die at any time. However, some zombies might receive sudden financing, such as government bailouts or other money, which could prompt a turnaround that might make shareholders suddenly wealthy.

Source: Investing Answers

zombie

noun