Skip to main content
death

death

∞ 1.3
An act that causes a person or animal to stop living
  • noun
  • /dɛθ/
  • NSFW
: muerte
  • The investigation revealed that the suspect was responsible for the death of the victim.
  • death penalty
  • death sentence
  • put to death

So he, he had strangled to death his girlfriend's sister.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • She faced threats of death, of jail and exile.

  • Complete accounts of civilian deaths are nowhere to be found, though several organizations have tried.

    Academic text (2011)
  • There have been three recent murder deaths and 17 before that, just in this one year alone.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Cause of death is fairly obvious.

  • Deaths follow a seasonal pattern, with a peak in July and no deaths in December or January.

    Academic text (2011)
  • Recently, a farmer was mauled to death outside the woods.

  • For the first time since Alsayid's death, his face bore a look of animation.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Death was the means of our advancement... the deaths of millions of our ancestors.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Dennis O'Neill, a 12-year-old boy, was beaten to death by his foster father in 1944.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The news reported several unexpected deaths due to the recent natural disaster.

Synonyms

murder
vsdeath
  • NSFW
∞ 1.6

An illegal killing of one person by another

is a neutral act without the unlawful or intentional legal label
homicide
vsdeath
  • NSFW
601 6.1

The killing of one person by another

frames the act as a legal category, not just the act itself
killing
vsdeath
  • NSFW
569 4.1

An act that causes a person or animal to die

is limited to causing a person to die rather than animals
execution
vsdeath
292 6.5

Putting a person to death as punishment for a crime

is a general act used for any reason, not only legal punishment
euthanasia
vsdeath
  • Specialized
32 7.5

To cause a painless death for a dying person to end their suffering

is the act without the medical purpose of relieving incurable suffering
slaying
vsdeath
  • NSFW
24 7.4

An illegal killing of a person planned in advance

is the act without implying deliberate preplanning or special intent
mercy killing
vsdeath
  • NSFW
6 6.3

Ending a person's life to stop their pain when they are very ill

is a general act not specifically aimed at painless relief of suffering
putting to death
vsdeath
  • NSFW
1 8.4

Killing a living thing, for example as punishment or to end suffering

is the general act without implying punishment or mercy

Idioms

scared to death
  • Informal
81 3.2

So frightened that you cannot move or speak

62 7.2

With strong determination to keep fighting until someone dies

48 3.7

To frighten someone very much

To keep fighting until one side is defeated, even if people die

A very serious situation where someone may die

16 7.5

A promise to stay married for the rest of both people's lives

An action or event that causes something to fail completely

5 8.2

To become very sick from being outside in the cold, often said as a warning

death and taxes
  • Informal
4 3.7

Two things in life that are certain and cannot be avoided

2 8.8

Many small problems that slowly make something stop working

Compounds

326 4.1

A legal punishment in which a person is killed for a very serious crime

178 2.8

The reason a person died as recorded by a doctor or other official

142 5.7

A part of a prison where people who will be executed wait

129 4.6

A very serious situation where someone may not survive

death toll
  • Literature
82 3.5

Number of people who have died because of an accident, war, or disaster

63 5.2

An official punishment where a court orders someone to be put to death for a crime

44 6.7

A very serious situation that may cause death if you do not act

death wish
  • Specialized
38 8.6

A secret desire to die that a person does not show

An experience people have when they almost die, often seeing light or feeling peace

death rate
  • Specialized
27 2.7

The number of people who die in a population each year shown per 1,000 people

death squad
  • Offensive
26 9.7

A secret group that kills political opponents or accused criminals without a trial

valley of death
  • Informal
25 9.0

A very dangerous situation where people may not survive

24 7.2

A death caused by another person's illegal or careless action that allows the family to sue

Involving a very serious risk to life or survival

violent death
  • Offensive
19 6.5

Death caused by physical force or injury, not by illness

death warrant
  • Formal
18 8.0

An official paper ordering the execution of a person sentenced to death

death camp
  • NSFW
18 8.4

A prison camp where people are kept and killed, often used by Nazi Germany in World War II

death panel
  • Jargon
14 9.6

A group that decides whether people get health care near the end of life

13 3.2

A very hot desert valley in eastern California and southwestern Nevada that has North America's lowest point

11 5.9

A government charge on property given to people after someone dies

9 8.1

An event or sign that shows something will end

8 6.7

A large outbreak of plague in Europe in the mid 1300s that killed millions

8 8.4

A situation that gets worse and worse until it fails completely

death benefit
  • Specialized
8 4.0

Money that an insurance or pension plan pays to people named when someone dies

brain death
  • Specialized
7 5.8

A condition when all brain activity stops and cannot return, even if the heart still beats

cell death
  • Specialized
7 3.9

A natural process in which living cells die during growth or repair

infant death
  • Specialized
6 5.7

A baby who seemed healthy dies suddenly, often during sleep

6 9.8

A part of a prison where people sentenced to die wait for their execution

sudden death
  • Jargon
6 3.5

An overtime period where the first score wins the game

5 9.1

A sealed room for killing people by releasing poison gas

living death
  • Informal
4 9.3

A life that feels like being dead because of great suffering

4 8.3

A cast of a dead person's face kept as a memory or used by artists

4 3.7

The sudden death of a baby under one year while sleeping, with no known cause

3 7.4

A fierce look that shows anger or dislike

death star
  • Informal
3 8.1

A very large company or project that crushes smaller rivals

dance of death
  • Literature
3 9.9

An image showing death as a skeleton leading rich and poor people to the grave

crib death
  • Archaic
3 7.4

A sudden unexpected death of a healthy baby while sleeping

death list
  • Offensive
2 9.3

A list of people someone plans to kill or hurt

merchant of death
  • Offensive
2 9.5

A person who sells weapons to make money, often causing violence

1 9.9

A chair used to kill a person with electricity

social death
  • Specialized
1 8.9

Being left out and ignored by people in your community

neonatal death
  • Specialized
1 5.2

A baby born alive who dies within the first 28 days of life

programmed cell death
  • Specialized
1 3.9

A process where a cell kills itself to help the body stay healthy

self-death
  • NSFW
1 9.9

An act of ending your life or your old identity to begin a new life

cerebral death
  • Specialized
1 7.9

Complete and permanent loss of all brain activity and consciousness while the body may still have a heartbeat

death duty
  • Archaic
1 8.1

A tax paid to the government on things a person owned when they died

death instinct
  • Specialized
1 9.9

A strong hidden wish to die or to harm yourself

1 8.0

A bell that a church or community rings to tell people someone has died

cot death
  • Archaic
1 6.5

Sudden unexpected death of a healthy baby while sleeping

1 8.3

A bell rung to announce someone's death

1 9.9

A hiking path that is very dangerous and often causes injury or death for hikers

1 9.9

A very poisonous white mushroom that can kill people and is often mistaken for edible mushrooms

1 9.9

A plant with leaves like grass and small white flowers that is poisonous

1 8.4

Killing a living thing, for example as punishment or to end suffering

1 9.9

A very poisonous white mushroom that can kill you if you eat it

death seat
  • Informal
1 8.4

The front passenger seat people think is most dangerous in a car crash

1 8.4

A list of people killed, often during a war or disaster

death adder
  • Australian
1 9.3

A dangerous Australian snake with strong venom and a thick body that strikes quickly

1 9.1

A planned way cells destroy themselves using caspase enzymes to remove damaged or dangerous cells

1 7.6

A risky early period when a project lacks money to become a product

civil death
  • Formal
1 9.9

A state in which a person loses most legal rights such as voting and owning property

1 9.9

A very poisonous white mushroom with a cup-shaped base and white gills that can kill if eaten

advance death benefit
  • Specialized
1 7.0

A part of life insurance paid early to a person likely to die soon

grassy death camas
  • Specialized
9.9

A poisonous plant with grass-like leaves that kills grazing animals

How Intentional

to assassinate
  • NSFW
159 7.0
to commit murder
  • NSFW
126 5.4
to kill
  • NSFW
∞ 1.0
death
  • NSFW
∞ 1.3

Surface Forms

death singular
deaths plural

Etymology

Death originally names the state of being dead and is closely linked to the words dead and die, so it can also mean an event that causes that state. In other words, death can mean the act of killing because it is the action that brings someone to 'being dead'.