the act of dying; the end of life; the total and permanent cessation of all the vital functions of an organism. Compare 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 initial capital letter ) the agent of death personified, usually represented as a man or a skeleton carrying a scythe. Compare Grim Reaper .

Also called spiritual death. loss or absence of spiritual life.

Christian Science . 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!

Archaic . pestilence; plague. Compare Black Death . ?

at death's door

in serious danger of death; gravely ill

Two survivors of the crash are still at death's door.

be death on

Informal .

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.

do 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.

in at the death

Fox Hunting . present at the kill.

present at the climax or conclusion of a situation.

put to death

to kill; execute.

to death

to an extreme degree; thoroughly

sick to death of the heat.

noun

being , birth , entity , existence , life , living

noun

afterlife , annihilation , bereavement , casualty , cessation , curtains * , darkness , decease , demise , departure , destruction , dissolution , downfall , dying , end , ending , eradication , eternal rest , euthanasia , exit , expiration , extermination , extinction , fatality , finis , finish , grave , grim reaper * , heaven , loss , mortality , necrosis , obliteration , oblivion , paradise , parting , passing , passing over , quietus , release , repose , ruin , ruination , silence , sleep , termination , tomb , rest , ante-mortem , bane , biolysis , crossbones , curtains , decay , decedent , dirge , doom , euthanasia (an easy death).associated-words: eschatology , euthanasian , fatal , funeral , grim reaper , inextremis , mort , murder , necrolatry , necrologist , necrology , necromancy , necrophobia , obit , obitual , passage , placebo , post-mortem , posthumous , requiem , thanatology , thanatophobia , thanatopsis