death 
/ˈdɛθ/ noun
plural deaths /ˈdɛθ/ noun 1 a [noncount] : the end of life : the time when someone or something dies
▪ birth, life, and eventual death ▪ fear of death ▪ She is close to death. [=she will die soon] ▪ death threats ▪ The hostage managed to escape death. [=avoid being killed] ▪ The newspaper did not report the cause of death. ▪ She was convicted of murder and sentenced/condemned to death. [=told that she would be killed as punishment] — see also brain death, death knell at knell
b [count] : the ending of a particular person's life
▪ People around the world mourned his death. ▪ She worked at the newspaper until her death at (age) 74. ▪ The accident resulted in two deaths. ▪ The number of deaths from cancer is rising. ▪ He died a violent/tragic death. ▪ There has been a death in the family. ▪ She survived the plane crash and many years later died a natural death. [=from natural causes; because she was old] ▪ The general met his death on the battlefield. 2 [count] : the permanent end of something that is not alive : the ruin or destruction of something
▪ the death of innocence ▪ the death of vaudeville ▪ the death of a marriage 3 Death [noncount] literary : the force that ends life and is often shown in art or literature as a skeleton
▪ Death could be seen lurking in the corner of the painting. ▪ when Death comes to take me away
▪ birth, life, and eventual death ▪ fear of death ▪ She is close to death. [=she will die soon] ▪ death threats ▪ The hostage managed to escape death. [=avoid being killed] ▪ The newspaper did not report the cause of death. ▪ She was convicted of murder and sentenced/condemned to death. [=told that she would be killed as punishment] — see also brain death, death knell at knell
b [count] : the ending of a particular person's life
▪ People around the world mourned his death. ▪ She worked at the newspaper until her death at (age) 74. ▪ The accident resulted in two deaths. ▪ The number of deaths from cancer is rising. ▪ He died a violent/tragic death. ▪ There has been a death in the family. ▪ She survived the plane crash and many years later died a natural death. [=from natural causes; because she was old] ▪ The general met his death on the battlefield.
▪ the death of innocence ▪ the death of vaudeville ▪ the death of a marriage
▪ Death could be seen lurking in the corner of the painting. ▪ when Death comes to take me away
a matter of life and death — see 1life
at death's door
: about to die : very sick and in danger of dying
▪ He is sick, but he's not at death's door.
▪ He is sick, but he's not at death's door.
be the death of
: to cause (someone) to die
▪ I worry that his drug addiction will be the death of him. — often used figuratively ▪ Those kids will be the death of me! [=they worry and upset me very much]
▪ I worry that his drug addiction will be the death of him. — often used figuratively ▪ Those kids will be the death of me! [=they worry and upset me very much]
catch your death (of cold) — see 1catch
like death warmed over (US) or Brit like death warmed up
informal : very tired or sick
▪ We worked through the night, and by morning we looked like death warmed over.
▪ We worked through the night, and by morning we looked like death warmed over.
put to death
◊A person or animal that is put to death is killed at a scheduled time by someone who is legally allowed to do so.
▪ a serial killer who was put to death [=executed] for the murder of 28 people ▪ The dog that attacked the children was later put to death.
▪ a serial killer who was put to death [=executed] for the murder of 28 people ▪ The dog that attacked the children was later put to death.
to death 1 — used to say how someone died or was killed ▪ He was shot/stabbed to death. ▪ They froze/starved to death. ▪ She drank herself to death. [=drank a lot of alcohol until it made her so sick that she died] 2 : very much : to a great degree
▪ We were bored/scared to death. [=extremely bored/scared] ▪ That teacher works her students to death. [=she makes them work too hard] ▪ He's wonderful! I just love him to death! ▪ I'm sick to death of hearing about the scandal. [=I don't want to hear anything more about the scandal; I've heard too much about it] ▪ That song has been done to death. [=many musicians have performed that song]
▪ We were bored/scared to death. [=extremely bored/scared] ▪ That teacher works her students to death. [=she makes them work too hard] ▪ He's wonderful! I just love him to death! ▪ I'm sick to death of hearing about the scandal. [=I don't want to hear anything more about the scandal; I've heard too much about it] ▪ That song has been done to death. [=many musicians have performed that song]
to the death 1 : until someone is dead
▪ The warriors would fight to the death. ▪ a battle to the death 2 : with all of your energy and effort
▪ Some parents do not want the school to be closed, and say they'll fight to the death for it.
▪ The warriors would fight to the death. ▪ a battle to the death
▪ Some parents do not want the school to be closed, and say they'll fight to the death for it.
— death·like /ˈdɛθˌlaɪk/ adjective
▪ a deathlike state
/ˈdɛθˌlaɪk/ adjective ▪ a deathlike state
