zombie

noun

zom·​bie ˈzäm-bē How to pronounce zombie (audio)
variants or less commonly zombi
Synonyms of zombienext
1
a
: 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
2
a
: 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
zombielike adjective
or zombie-like
… a morning rush of zombielike office workers, all starved for caffeine and clamoring for cappuccino. Bob Filipczak
zomboid 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
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.
Bella Ramsey takes a break from killing zombies and avenging father figures, their usual pastimes in series The Last of Us, to fool around and fall in love in Sunny Dancer, a decidedly uneven but fitfully charming, YA-skewed British comedy-drama. Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 13 Feb. 2026 That’s later, though, after Angie manages to jam her finger in the door while wearing an inflatable seahorse costume and the whole crew somehow finds the time to get ready in really elaborate zombie makeup. Rafaela Bassili, Vulture, 10 Feb. 2026 Now, the zombies are being rehabilitated and reintroduced into the general public, including teenager Kieren Walker (Luke Newberry), who isn't exactly welcomed home with open arms. Sammi Burke, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Feb. 2026 When the Ghoul saves Lucy from being turned into a zombie by her dad, the surprise of his nick-of-time arrival is undercut by the scene being split in half. Ben Travers, IndieWire, 4 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for zombie

Word History

Etymology

Louisiana Creole or Haitian Creole zonbi, of Bantu origin; akin to Kimbundu nzúmbe ghost

First Known Use

1928, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of zombie was in 1928

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Zombie.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/zombie. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.

Kids Definition

zombie

noun
zom·​bie
variants also zombi
: a person who is believed to have died and been brought back to life without speech or free will
Etymology

Louisiana Creole or Haitian Creole zonbi, of Bantu origin

More from Merriam-Webster on zombie

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster