: no longer living
especially
: recently dead
—used of persons
Both of his parents are deceased.
deceased relatives
plural deceased
: a dead person
the will of the deceased
did not release the deceased's name until his family had been notified
Synonyms
Examples of deceased in a Sentence
Adjective
the recently deceased tenant was found by a concerned neighbor
Recent Examples on the Web
Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2024
In addition, abuse by John Cullinan, a deceased Catholic priest who served in the La Crosse diocese, was reported for the first time.
—Journal Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2024
He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced deceased a short time later.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2024
An adult female was pronounced deceased outside of the school, police said on Monday afternoon.
—Jolie Lash, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2024
According to authorities, there was no evidence that the baby’s father, who is now deceased, was aware of the child’s birth and death.
—Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024
People regularly see deceased family members and pets.
—Phoebe Zerwick, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
In an eerily sad close-to-home touch, Charley’s deceased lawyer dad — spotted in photos among his effects — is the actor’s own late father, William Hurt.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
The man was found with at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Crimesider Staff, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2018
Adjective
With Pinder’s death, all five founding members of the Moody Blues — Laine (who died in 2023), Edge (2021), Thomas (2018), and Warwick (2004) — are now deceased.
—Daniel Kreps, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2024
In addition, abuse by John Cullinan, a deceased Catholic priest who served in the La Crosse diocese, was reported for the first time.
—Journal Sentinel, 25 Apr. 2024
He was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced deceased a short time later.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2024
An adult female was pronounced deceased outside of the school, police said on Monday afternoon.
—Jolie Lash, ABC News, 22 Apr. 2024
According to authorities, there was no evidence that the baby’s father, who is now deceased, was aware of the child’s birth and death.
—Christine Pelisek, Peoplemag, 22 Apr. 2024
People regularly see deceased family members and pets.
—Phoebe Zerwick, New York Times, 10 Apr. 2024
In an eerily sad close-to-home touch, Charley’s deceased lawyer dad — spotted in photos among his effects — is the actor’s own late father, William Hurt.
—Robert Abele, Los Angeles Times, 13 Apr. 2024
The man was found with at least one gunshot wound and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
—Harry Harris, The Mercury News, 12 Apr. 2024
Noun
GEDMatch is one of the databases used by the DNA Doe project, a non-profit that works to name the deceased who remain unidentified.
—Crimesider Staff, CBS News, 27 Apr. 2018
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'deceased.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near deceased
Cite this Entry
“Deceased.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/deceased. Accessed 2 May. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
deceased
2 of 2 adjective
: no longer living
his deceased grandparents
Medical Definition
deceased
1 of 2 adjective
de·ceased
-ˈsēst 
: no longer living
especially
: recently dead
—used of persons
deceased
2 of 2 noun
plural deceased
: a dead person
the will of the deceased
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