to drop dead
52
8.4
- phrasal verb
- /drɑp dɛd/
- Informal
:
caerse muerto
- Hundreds of them dropped dead in their tracks at work and were buried on the spot.
- drop dead from a heart attack
- drop dead from an attack
- suddenly drop dead
The minute he dropped dead, there went the Sir.
- The minute he dropped dead, there went the Sir.
- You know, my mom's petrified that I'm going to drop dead on Iron Man live coverage.
- They went round and round until they literally dropped dead from starvation and exhaustion.
- By then you've spread it to many more people than if you drop dead after two days.
- And a few weeks after, my mum just suddenly drops dead.
- Like I drop dead on that floor, don't have any recollection.
- If Clarence Thomas drops dead or he resigns, guess who's going to be the justice?
- So acute death would be you're live one minute and you drop dead the next.
- You know, that she sits around and thinks how many more days until he drops dead?
- And the first time I really kind of had a big confrontation with a bank was when people were dropping dead on the trading floor of heart attacks.
- But I certainly would like to be in a place where if I were to, if I were to drop dead tomorrow, it would have been an amazing life.
- We are learning about which genes can cause the higher risk of people dropping dead, which can cause more problems with heart failure.
- But no, if you didn't wear a mask now you're at a higher likelihood of dropping dead from a heart attack.
Examples
-
You know, my mom's petrified that I'm going to drop dead on Iron Man live coverage.
-
People are walking and dropping dead in their tracks.
Academic text (2003) -
I hope he dropped dead.
-
A lot of times people just drop dead here, and you say: "Ed, what happened?"
-
It's not as if all these people just suddenly dropped dead for no reason.
Blog text (15) -
I realized that yes, I might drop dead, but the world would carry on.
Blog text (3) -
He dropped dead of a heart attack.
-
They went round and round until they literally dropped dead from starvation and exhaustion.
-
Suddenly, the elderly man drop dead in the middle of the conversation.
-
They say that many athletes drop dead during intense competitions from heart issues.
Synonyms
∞
1.0
To stop living and no longer be alive
537
3.8
To stop living
258
2.7
To die, said in a gentle or polite way
121
6.0
To die suddenly or violently, often in large numbers
62
9.9
To stop living, used in formal or old language
57
9.9
To die suddenly from an accident or attack
32
9.0
To die, said in a casual or joking way
31
8.6
To die, often used in medical or formal speech
16
5.7
Fall down suddenly because you faint or feel very weak
8
3.8
To die peacefully in a gentle, respectful way
7
8.6
To die, said in casual or joking speech
6
9.0
To suddenly faint or fall unconscious
5
9.9
To die suddenly, often in an accident or during fighting
4
8.1
To die or stop working after a long time of problems
2
9.9
To stop living and not come back
1
9.1
To die, often said as a joke to make it seem less serious
To die or suddenly lose an important position
To die in a light, not serious way
Antonyms
How Rude
- Offensive
- Informal
52
8.4
- Offensive
104
9.9
- Offensive
67
9.5
709
1.0
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'to die suddenly' is directly derivable from combining 'drop' (to fall or fall down) with 'dead' (not alive): a learner who knows both words will reasonably infer 'to fall down and become dead' or 'become dead suddenly'. This verb + adjective compositional pattern is common and has clear cross‑linguistic parallels (e.g., 'fall dead'), so despite its informal register it is transparent to a B1 learner.
Etymology
The verb drop dead paints a clear picture: someone suddenly drops to the ground and is dead. This sharp image is why the phrase means 'to die suddenly' or 'to collapse from shock or exhaustion'.