Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

catch one's death

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.24 in modern English

Syllables: catch one's death
IPA

25

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

1

Syllables

9

Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To contract a serious illness, especially a nasty cold or other respiratory ailment and especially as a result of exposure to wet or chilly weather.

Example Sentences

""You'll get drenched to the skin—You'll catch your death!" said Peechy Prauw, affectionately."
""My eye as like! you don't think I'm such a fool as to catch my death of cold, and let the horses catch their death too.""
""You shall trudge away, and do your errands in the rain, and if you catch your death and ruin your bonnet, it's no more than you deserve.""
"Now Linda's catching her death outside in nothing but her nightie."
"Carla left him weeping in the rain, soaked to the skin, in his trademark tight white shirt. He may yet catch his death."

Inflected Forms

catches one's death (present, singular) catching one's death (participle, present) caught one's death (participle, past) caught one's death (past)

Phrases

catch one's death of cold

Questions

What does catch one's death mean?: To contract a serious illness, especially a nasty cold or other respiratory ailment and especially as a result of exposure to wet or chilly weather.

How to pronounce catch one's death

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “catch one's death”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “catch one's death”.
Repeat and practice — Say “catch one's death” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.