die

1 of 2

verb

ˈdī 

died; dying ˈdī-iŋ 

intransitive verb

1

: to pass from physical life : expire

died at the age of 56

die young

died from his injuries

a dying tree

2

a

: to pass out of existence : cease

their anger died at these words

b

: to disappear or subside gradually

—often used with away, down, or out

the storm died down

3

a

: sink, languish

dying from fatigue

b

: to long keenly or desperately

dying to go

c

: to be overwhelmed by emotion

die of embarrassment

4

a

: to cease functioning : stop

the motor died

b

: to end in failure

the bill died in committee

5

: to become indifferent

die to worldly things

die

2 of 2

noun

ˈdī 

plural dice ˈdīs  or dies ˈdīz 

1

plural dice : a small cube marked on each face with from one to six spots and used usually in pairs in various games and in gambling by being shaken and thrown to come to rest at random on a flat surface

—often used figuratively in expressions concerning chance or the irrevocability of a course of action

the die was cast

2

plural dies, architecture : dado sense 1a

3

plural dies : any of various tools or devices for imparting a desired shape, form, or finish to a material or for impressing an object or material: such as

a(1)

: the larger of a pair of cutting or shaping tools that when moved toward each other produce a desired form in or impress a desired device on an object by pressure or by a blow

(2)

: a device composed of a pair of such tools

b

: a hollow internally threaded screw-cutting tool used for forming screw threads

c

: a mold into which molten metal or other material is forced

d

: a perforated block through which metal or plastic is drawn or extruded for shaping

Phrases

die hard

1

: to be long in dying

such rumors die hard

2

: to continue resistance against hopeless odds

that kind of determination dies hard

die on the vine

: to fail especially at an early stage through lack of support or enthusiasm

let the proposal die on the vine

to die for

: extremely desirable or appealing

the dessert was to die for

Synonyms

Verb

• check out
• conk (out)
• croak [slang]
• decease
• demise
• depart
• drop
• end
• exit
• expire
• fall
• flatline
• go
• kick in [slang]
• kick off [slang]
• pass (on)
• pass away
• part
• peg out [chiefly British]
• perish
• pop off
• step out
• succumb

Noun

• bones
• dice

Example Sentences

Verb

She claims she's not afraid to die.

He died in 1892 at the age of 37.

People in the town began dying suddenly.

He died a violent and painful death.

Her secret died with her.

He's the last of a dying breed.

Noun

Each player throws one die.

he rolled the die, hoping for a six

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Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Today is Memorial Day, not just a day for sitting at the poolside, but a day to honor the American servicemen and women who died for their country. —Cincinnati Enquirer, The Enquirer, 29 May 2023

Observed as a federal holiday on the last Monday in May, Memorial Day is a day of remembrance for those who died while serving in the U.S. military. —Julia Wick, Los Angeles Times, 28 May 2023

Seaman 1st Class William Brooks, who died eight decades earlier during the bombing of Pearl Harbor. —Dan Belson, Baltimore Sun, 28 May 2023

First and foremost, Memorial Day is all about remembering the brave men and women who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. —Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 28 May 2023

But like a great little black dress or white button down, that's precisely the point—great lines that are timelessly flattering and endlessly wearable, long after the latest hot trend has died. —Lauren Hubbard, Town & Country, 28 May 2023

The requirement meant that no Arkansans could be removed from the Medicaid rolls for a change in income or eligibility until the federal public health emergency ended, and cases could be closed only if individuals moved out of state, died, were incarcerated or requested their coverage end. —Michael R. Wickline, Arkansas Online, 28 May 2023

Judy dedicated it to her husband, who died in 2018 at age 74. —John Kelly, Washington Post, 28 May 2023

The actress died at her home in Los Angeles on May 18, her friend Tamara Lynch confirmed to PEOPLE. —Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 27 May 2023

Noun

Solimano recently acquired new dies to squeeze out different pasta shapes from his VIP/2 professional extrusion machine, and Sfizio’s pillowy gnocchi will be available for special occasions. —Mario Cortez, San Francisco Chronicle, 8 May 2023

These teams aim to find the best-case scenario for power, performance and area (PPA), considering the billions of transistors that are all tightly packed into one die. —Patrick Moorhead, Forbes, 4 May 2023

Depending on the season, 60,000 to 120,000 older adults are hospitalized in the United States with RSV each year, and 6,000 to 10,000 die, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. —Carolyn Y. Johnson, Anchorage Daily News, 4 May 2023

ExploreDallas suburb mourns after 8 die in outlet mall shootingExploreComplete coverage of Midtown Atlanta deadly shooting At the end of April, the numbers exceeded the record set in 2009 when 93 people were killed in 17 incidents in the same time frame. —Stefanie Dazio, ajc, 3 May 2023

Pasta extruded through Teflon dies has a smooth, almost satiny surface. —Daniela Galarza, Washington Post, 14 Apr. 2023

The Tigers managed an 8-6 rally in the final quarter, yet the die was already cast. —Indy Star Sports, The Indianapolis Star, 18 Feb. 2023

Pellets: Wood pellets are made by processing wood waste down to a uniform sawdust-like consistency and then forcing it through dies at high pressure. —Bradley Ford, Popular Mechanics, 21 Apr. 2023

SiC devices now generally have smaller dies than GaN ones. —IEEE Spectrum, 26 Mar. 2023

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Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle English dien, from or akin to Old Norse deyja to die; akin to Old High German touwen to die

Noun

Middle English dee, from Anglo-French dé

First Known Use

Verb

12th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing die

• die before one's time
• cross my heart and hope to die
• die down
• die hard
• die in one's bed
• die in committee
• die in childbirth
• die from/of hunger
• die in bed
• die intestate
• die in one's sleep
• die like flies
• die of
• die out
• old habits die hard
• never say die
• sine die
• the die is cast
• do-or-die
• die laughing
• die of/from thirst
• die off
• die away
• die on the vine
• to die for

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• die before one's time
• cross my heart and hope to die
• die down
• die hard
• die in one's bed
• die in committee
• die in childbirth
• die from/of hunger
• die in bed
• die intestate
• die in one's sleep
• die like flies
• die of
• die out
• old habits die hard
• never say die
• sine die
• the die is cast
• do-or-die
• die laughing
• die of/from thirst
• die off
• die away
• die on the vine
• to die for

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Kids Definition

die

1 of 2 verb

ˈdī 

died; dying ˈdī-iŋ 

1

: to stop living : expire

died of old age

2

a

: to pass out of existence : come to an end

their anger was dying down

b

: to disappear or lessen gradually

the wind died down

3

a

: to wish eagerly or desperately

dying to go

b

: to be completely overcome with emotion

almost died of embarrassment

4

: to stop functioning

the motor sputtered and died

die

2 of 2 noun

ˈdī 

1

plural dice ˈdīs  : a small cube marked on each side with one to six spots and used usually in pairs in various games

—often used figuratively in expressions concerning chance or the absence of possible change in a course of action

the die was cast

2

plural dies ˈdīz  : any of various devices used for cutting, shaping, or stamping a material or object

Etymology

Verb

Middle English dien "to die," of Norse origin

Noun

Middle English dee "small cube marked with spots and thrown in gambling, dice," from early French dé (same meaning)

Medical Definition

die

1 of 2 intransitive verb

ˈdī 

died; dying ˈdī-iŋ 

1

: to suffer total and irreversible loss of the bodily attributes and functions that constitute life

2

: to suffer or face the pains of death

die

2 of 2 noun

plural dies ˈdīz 

: any of various tools or devices for imparting a desired shape, form, or finish to a material or for impressing an object or material