dead
/dɛd/
Word Rarity
Common
Frequency: 5.19 in modern English
6
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
1
Syllables
3
Unique Chars
Meaning
adj
Devoid of living things; barren.
adj
Figuratively, not alive; lacking life.
adj
So hated or offensive as to be absolutely shunned, ignored, or ostracized.
adj
Doomed; marked for death; as good as dead.
adj
Stationary; static; immobile or immovable.
Example Sentences
- "All of my grandparents are dead."
- "Have respect for the dead."
- "The villagers are mourning their dead."
- "The dead are always with us, in our hearts."
- "Lily was pronounced dead at the scene."
- "A storekeeper downtown was shot dead last evening."
Etymology
From Middle English ded, deed, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz. Compare West Frisian dead, dea, Dutch dood, German tot, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål død, Norwegian Nynorsk daud, Swedish död.
Origin
Word Breakdown
Usage
- Slang
- Obsolete
- Colloquial
- Informal
- Uncountable
- British usage
- Transitive verb
- American usage
Inflected Forms
Derived Forms
Phrases
(to be) at peace
(to be) at the end of the road
(to be) bereft of life
(to be) belly up
(to have) bitten the big one
(to have) bitten the dust
(to have) bought the farm
(to be) brown bread
Frequently Paired Words
(to be) at peace
(to be) at the end of the road
(to be) bereft of life
(to be) belly up
(to have) bitten the big one
(to have) bitten the dust
(to have) bought the farm
(to be) brown bread