plural suicides
1
a
: the act of killing yourself because you do not want to continue living
She had thoughts of suicide.
He committed suicide. [=he killed himself]
He attempted suicide. [=he tried to kill himself]
Authorities have officially ruled the death a suicide.
There were two suicides last year at the university.
b
: a person who commits suicide
Her father was a suicide. [=her father killed himself]
2
: an action that ruins or destroys your career, social position, etc.
Accepting that kind of support is political suicide. [=it will cause the end of your career in politics]
It would be suicide for the company to try to expand too quickly. [=the company would fail if it tried to expand too quickly]
always used before a noun
: of or relating to suicide
a suicide attempt
Did he leave a suicide note? [=a note/letter explaining why he killed himself]
—used especially to describe something that is done by a person who plans and expects to be killed while doing ita suicide mission/bombing
a suicide bomber [=a person who commits suicide by exploding a bomb in order to kill other people]
Cite this Entry
“Suicide.” Merriam-Webster.com Simple Definition, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/simple/suicide. Accessed 22 Jun. 2026.
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