death

 
Pronunciation: /dɛθ/

noun

[mass noun]
  • the action or fact of dying or being killed; the end of the life of a person or organism: he had been depressed since the death of his father [count noun]: an increase in deaths from skin cancer I don’t believe in life after death
  • the state of being dead: even in death, she was beautiful
  • the permanent ending of vital processes in a cell or tissue.
  • (Death) the personification of the power that destroys life, often represented in art and literature as a skeleton or an old man holding a scythe. Also called the Grim Reaper
  • the destruction or permanent end of something: the death of her hopes
  • a damaging or destructive state of affairs: to be driven to a dance by one’s father would be social death

Phrases

as sure as death

quite certain.

at death's door

(especially in hyperbolic use) so ill that one may die: you’ve been out a lot, considering you’re supposed to be at death’s door

be the death of

(often used hyperbolically or humorously) cause someone’s death: you’ll be the death of me with all your questions

be in at the death

be present when a hunted animal is caught and killed.
be present when something fails or comes to an end.

catch one's death (of cold)

informal catch a severe cold or chill: don’t come out, dear, you’ll catch your death!

do someone to death

kill someone: he had been done to death by his two attackers

do something to death

perform or repeat something so frequently that it becomes tediously familiar: a subject that has been done to death by generations of painters

a fate worse than death

a terrible experience: are you going to buy me a drink as well as rescuing me from a fate worse than death?

like death warmed up (or North American over)

informal extremely tired or ill: I feel like death warmed up

a matter of life and death

see life

put someone to death

kill someone, especially with official sanction: the prisoner was found guilty of sabotage and put to death without trial

till (or until) death us do part

for as long as each of a couple live: to have and to hold, to love and to cherish, till death us do part
[from the marriage service in the Book of Common Prayer]

to death

used of a particular action or process that results in someone’s death: he was stabbed to death
used to emphasize the extreme nature of a specific action, feeling, or state of mind: I’m sick to death of you I’ve got used to speaking in public but it used to scare me to death

to the death

until dead: a fight to the death

Derivatives

deathlike

adjective

Origin:

Old English dēath, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch dood and German Tod, also to die1