sudden death

noun

1

: unexpected death that is instantaneous or occurs within minutes from any cause other than violence

sudden death following coronary occlusion

2

: extra play to break a tie in a sports contest in which the first to score or gain the lead wins

Examples of sudden death in a Sentence

We won 27–24 in sudden death.

a serious heart condition that can result in sudden death

Recent Examples on the Web

His sudden death must have been a severe blow to her. —Natalia Sánchez Loayza, Scientific American, 13 Mar. 2026

The North Kansas City community is mourning the loss of a local firefighter after his sudden death this week. —Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 13 Mar. 2026

Another errant tee shot put Berger in the left rough during sudden death, preventing him from taking on the right-front pin. —Edgar Thompson, The Orlando Sentinel, 9 Mar. 2026

Both teams were certainly dealing with exhaustion, but tireless Tia Chan, who starred in this game two years ago, turned in another clutch performance, making 57 saves, including 33 during 25 1/2 minutes of sudden death overtime, many of then spectacular. —Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 8 Mar. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sudden death

• shibboleth
• beth
• breath
• heth
• lethe
• meth
• seth
• sheth
• sneath

Kids Definition

sudden death

noun

: extra play to break a tie in a sports contest in which the first to score or gain the lead wins

Medical Definition

sudden death

noun

: unexpected death that is instantaneous or occurs within minutes or hours from any cause other than violence

sudden death following coronary occlusion

especially : sudden cardiac death