dead

Pronunciation: /dɛd/

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Definition of dead

adjective

1no longer alive:a dead body [as complement]:he was shot dead by terrorists (as plural noun the dead)there was no time to bury the dead with decency
(of a part of the body) having lost sensation; numb: I severed nerves in my leg so part of my foot is dead
lacking emotion, sympathy, or sensitivity:a cold, dead voice
no longer current, relevant, or important:pollution had become a dead issue
devoid of living things:a dead planet
(of a place or time) characterized by a lack of activity or excitement:Brussels isn’t dead after dark, if you know where to look
(of money) not financially productive: far from being dead money, it is available to be spent or invested
(of sound) without resonance; dull: the earth hit the coffin with a peculiarly dead sound
(of a colour) not glossy or bright: a matte, dead black
(of a piece of equipment) no longer functioning:the phone had gone dead
(of an electric circuit or conductor) carrying or transmitting no current:the batteries are dead
no longer alight:the fire had been dead for some days
(of a glass or bottle) empty or no longer being used: they got all the dead glasses and put them on the table
(of the ball in a game) out of play: the ball had gone deadSee also dead ball.
(of a cricket pitch or other surface) lacking springiness or bounce: the pitch was so utterly dead that Pollock could hardly get the ball bail-high

2 [attributive] complete; absolute:we sat in dead silence

adverb

[often as submodifier]

absolutely; completely:you’re dead right he was dead against the idea
exactly:they arrived dead on time
straight; directly:red flares were seen dead ahead
British informal very:omelettes are dead easy to prepare

Phrases

dead and buried: over; finished:the incident is dead and buried
(as) dead as a (or the) dodo: see dodo.
(as) dead as a doornail: see doornail.
(as) dead as mutton: see mutton.
dead from the neck up: informal stupid.
dead in the water: (of a ship) unable to move: the vessel was dead in the water with no engine power; unable to function effectively:the economy is dead in the water
dead meat: informal used to suggest someone is in serious trouble:if anyone finds out, you’re dead meat
the dead of night: the quietest, darkest part of the night: I woke up at the dead of night
the dead of winter: the coldest part of winter: golf can be an unpleasant experience in the dead of winter
dead on: exactly right:her judgement was dead on
dead on one's feet: informal extremely tired: get some sleep—you must be dead on your feet
dead to the world: informal fast asleep.
from the dead: from a state of death:according to Christian belief, Jesus rose from the dead three days later; from a period of obscurity or inactivity:the cartoon brought animation back from the dead
make a dead set at: see set².
more dead than alive: (of a person) hurt and in a very poor state:he was breathing, but more dead than alive
over my dead body: see body.
stop dead: stop (or cause to stop) suddenly or abruptly:Rob stopped dead and turned to face me the sight stopped him dead in his tracks
wouldn't be seen (or caught) dead: informal used to express strong dislike for a particular thing:I wouldn’t be seen dead in a navy suit she wouldn’t be seen dead shopping with her mother

Derivatives

deadness

Origin:

Old English dēad, of Germanic origin: related to Dutch dood and German tot, also to die¹

dead in other Oxford dictionaries

Definition of dead in the US English dictionary

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Other

dead

adjective

adverb

Phrases

dead and buried

(as) dead as a (or the) dodo

(as) dead as a doornail

(as) dead as mutton

dead from the neck up

dead in the water

dead meat

the dead of night

the dead of winter

dead on

dead on one's feet

dead to the world

from the dead

make a dead set at

more dead than alive

over my dead body

stop dead

wouldn't be seen (or caught) dead

Derivatives

deadness

Origin:

dead in other Oxford dictionaries

Nearby words

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