Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

death by a thousand cuts

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.18 in modern English

Syllables: death by a t-hou-sand -cuts
IPA

35

Scrabble Score

20

Letters

4

Syllables

12

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Lingchi, a form of execution.

Countable; Uncountable

noun

A gradual decline or failure as the result of many minor mishaps.

Countable; Uncountable

Example Sentences

"The steelmaker warned that moving production overseas would be an inevitable consequence. One executive said: “This is death by a thousand cuts.”"
"There are only months left to save our railway from a vicious downward spiral. Do we choose reform of the workforce or death by a thousand cuts? Who will stand up and speak for the industry to avoid such a massive own goal?"

Usage

Inflected Forms

deaths by a thousand cuts (plural)

Phrases

death by a thousand paper cuts Chinese water torture

Frequently Paired Words

Chinese water torture

Questions

What does death by a thousand cuts mean?: Lingchi, a form of execution.

How to pronounce death by a thousand cuts

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “death by a thousand cuts”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling () so you know which sounds to aim for.
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