death: Meaning and Definition of
death
Pronunciation: (deth), [key] — n.
- the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism. Cf. brain death.
- an instance of this: a death in the family; letters published after his death.
- the state of being dead: to lie still in death.
- extinction; destruction: It will mean the death of our hopes.
- manner of dying: a hero's death.
- (usually cap.) the agent of death personified, usually represented as a man or a skeleton carrying a scythe. Cf. Grim Reaper.
- Also calledloss or absence of spiritual life.
- the false belief that life comes to an end.
- bloodshed or murder: Hitler was responsible for the death of millions.
- a cause or occasion of death: You'll be the death of me yet!
- pestilence; plague. Cf. Black Death.
- in serious danger of death; gravely ill: Two survivors of the crash are still at death's door.
- That publisher is death on sloppily typed manuscripts.
- to be excessively strict about:That publisher is death on sloppily typed manuscripts.
- to be snobbish about or toward.
- to be able to cope with easily and successfully:The third baseman is death on pop flies.
- That theme has been done to death.
- to kill, esp. to murder.
- to repeat too often, to the point of becoming monotonous and boring:That theme has been done to death.
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- Fox Hunting.present at the kill.
- present at the climax or conclusion of a situation.
- to kill; execute.
- to an extreme degree; thoroughly: sick to death of the heat.
Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Copyright © 1997, by Random House, Inc., on Infoplease.