INDEX:
1. to die because you are old or ill
2. to die in an accident, war, fight etc
3. to die when you are still young
4. to die for your country or for something you believe in
5. when someone is going to die very soon
6. when someone dies
7. when one of your relatives or friends dies
8. an illness or accident that you die from
RELATED WORDS
opposite
↑ ALIVE
not die despite an accident, illness etc : ↑ SURVIVE
see also
↑ DEAD
↑ KILL
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1. to die because you are old or ill
▷ die /daɪ/ [intransitive verb]
to stop being alive, as a result of old age or illness :
▪ I want to see Ireland again before I die.
▪ Many people are worried about growing old and dying alone.
▪ No wonder your plants always die - you don’t water them enough.
die of
▪ His son died of liver cancer three years ago.
die in your sleep
die while you are sleeping
▪ In the spring of her 93rd year, Miss Grantley died in her sleep.
die a natural death/die of natural causes
die as a result of illness or old age
▪ The autopsy said he had died of natural causes, but his family is not convinced.
▷ pass away /ˌpɑːs əˈweɪǁˌpæs-/ [intransitive phrasal verb]
to die - use this when you want to avoid using the word ‘die’, because you think it might upset someone :
▪ Have you heard? Carl passed away last night.
▪ My wife had just passed away, and I didn’t want to be around people.
▷ drop dead /ˌdrɒp ˈdedǁˌdrɑːp-/ [verb phrase] spoken
if someone drops dead, they die very suddenly and unexpectedly, especially when they are in the middle of doing something :
▪ One of their neighbors just dropped dead on the tennis court.
▪ McSherry dropped dead of a heart attack in the middle of a baseball game.
▷ kick the bucket spoken informal also snuff it British /ˌkɪk ðə ˈbʌkə̇t, ˈsnʌf ɪt/ [verb phrase not in progressive]
to die - use this humorously when you are not being serious :
▪ When I kick the bucket you’ll be able to live on my life insurance.
▪ I feel like I’ve done everything I wanted to - I might as well snuff it.
2. to die in an accident, war, fight etc
▷ die/be killed /daɪ, biː ˈkɪld/ [intransitive verb/verb phrase]
▪ The firefighters died when the warehouse floor collapsed.
die/be killed in an accident/explosion/the war etc
▪ Two people were killed and four injured in a gas explosion this morning.
die/be killed in action
be killed in a war
▪ His brother was killed in action in Vietnam.
▷ to death /tə ˈdeθ/ [adverb]
starve/freeze/bleed etc to death
to die because of having no food, being too cold, losing blood etc :
▪ The baby starved to death.
▪ He bled to death after being stabbed repeatedly.
▷ lose your life /ˌluːz jɔːʳ ˈlaɪf/ [verb phrase]
to be killed in a terrible event - used especially in news reports and descriptions of past events :
▪ Hundreds of people lost their lives when the ship overturned in a storm.
▪ Supporters continue to visit the site where Colosio lost his life to an assassin’s bullet.
▷ come to a sticky end /ˌkʌm tʊ ə ˌstɪki ˈend/ [verb phrase not in progressive] British informal
to die in a violent or unpleasant way - use this especially when you think the person who died deserved this :
▪ At the end of the film the prisoners are rescued, and the pirates come to a sticky end.
▷ perish /ˈperɪʃ/ [intransitive verb]
to die in a terrible event - used especially in literature and news reports :
▪ Everyone aboard the ship perished when it sank off the coast of Maine.
▪ Five children perished before firefighters could put out the blaze.
▷ suffer heavy losses /ˌsʌfəʳ ˌhevi ˈlɒsə̇zǁ-ˈlɔːsə̇z/ [verb phrase]
if a military force suffers heavy losses, a very large number of its soldiers die while fighting :
▪ US forces withdrew after suffering heavy losses.
▪ The troops suffered heavy losses fighting their way through the Italian countryside.
3. to die when you are still young
▷ die young /ˌdaɪ ˈjʌŋ/ [verb phrase]
to die when you are young :
▪ Like so many other pop stars, Jim Morrison died young.
▪ a memorial to tens of thousands of allied soldiers, many of whom died so young
▷ be cut off/down in your prime /biː kʌt ˌɒf, ˌdaʊn ɪn jɔːʳ ˈpraɪm/ [verb phrase]
to die when you are still young, strong, and active, as a result of an accident, sudden illness etc :
▪ The movie tells the story of a popular athlete cut down in his prime.
be cut off/down in your prime by
▪ Dolly was an energetic woman who was suddenly cut off in her prime by scarlet fever.
▷ untimely death /ʌnˌtaɪmli ˈdeθ/ [singular noun]
someone’s death that happens before it would normally be expected :
▪ James Dean had made just three movies before his untimely death in 1955.
4. to die for your country or for something you believe in
▷ die for /ˈdaɪ fɔːʳ/ [verb phrase]
▪ These brave men were ready to fight and die for their country.
▪ How many of you would be willing to die for your religion?
▷ give your life/lay down your life /ˌgɪv jɔːʳ ˈlaɪf, ˌleɪ daʊn jɔːʳ ˈlaɪf/ [verb phrase] formal
to die in order to save someone, or because of something that you believe in :
▪ We want to pay special tribute to the men and women who have given their lives in service of their country.
give your life/lay down your life for
▪ He was ready to lay down his life for his comrades.
▷ martyr /ˈmɑːʳtəʳ/ [countable noun]
someone who is killed because of their religious or political beliefs, and becomes very famous because of this :
▪ The early Christian martyrs were killed by the thousands.
make somebody a martyr/make a martyr out of somebody
make people think someone is a martyr
▪ His death in police hands made him a martyr among the people.
martyrdom [uncountable noun]
▪ His martyrdom encouraged the people to resist.
▷ suicide bomber/pilot/killer /ˈsuːɪsaɪd ˌbɒməʳ, ˈsuːəsaɪd ˌbɒməʳ, ˌpaɪlət, ˌkɪləʳǁ-ˌbɑːm-/ [countable noun]
someone who attacks and kills people with a bomb etc even though they know they will die as well :
▪ FBI agents found the passport of one of the suicide bombers among the wreckage.
▪ Suicide pilots are brainwashed into believing they will go straight to paradise when they die.
5. when someone is going to die very soon
▷ dying /ˈdaɪ-ɪŋ/ [adjective]
if someone is dying, they will die very soon because they are very ill or very badly injured :
▪ He gave the dying man a drop of water from his flask.
▪ The priest was killed as he was giving the last rites to a dying man.
lie dying
▪ Even as she lay dying in a hospital bed, she was still thinking of her children.
▷ be close to death/near (to) death /biː ˌkləʊs tə ˈdeθ, ˌnɪəʳ (tə) ˈdeθ/ [verb phrase] formal
to be going to die very soon :
▪ When the fisherman spotted the boat, its crew were already close to death.
▪ Davis had suffered a stroke and was near death.
▷ on your deathbed /ɒn jɔːʳ ˈdeθbed/ [adverb]
to be lying in your bed, about to die :
▪ My grandmother gave me that ring when she was on her deathbed.
▪ Thirty years later, on her deathbed, she confessed to the crime.
▷ be at death’s door /biː ət ˌdeθs ˈdɔːʳ/ [verb phrase] spoken
to be extremely ill and likely to die soon :
▪ His skin was so pale, he looked like he was at death’s door.
6. when someone dies
▷ death /deθ/ [countable/uncountable noun]
▪ After her husband’s death, she moved back to California.
▪ The bomb caused at least one death, and several serious injuries.
death from
▪ The number of deaths from AIDS is still increasing in many parts of the world.
the death of somebody
formal
▪ A comet appeared at the time of the death of Julius Caesar in 44 B.C.
the death toll
the number of deaths in one terrible event
▪ The latest death toll in the Turkish earthquake is over 2000.
accidental death
death resulting from an accident - used in official contexts
▪ The policy provides full insurance in the case of accidental death.
untimely death
death that comes earlier than is normally expected
▪ Basquiat’s work had become well known even before his untimely death at age 27.
on somebody’s death
when they die
▪ Catherine will inherit a large sum of money on her father’s death.
▷ fatalities /fəˈtælɪtiz, fəˈtælətiz/ [plural noun]
the number of people who have died in accidents or from illnesses, especially when this is being calculated officially :
▪ A fifth of all road fatalities are caused by people not wearing seatbelts.
▪ An attack on the city would cause tens of thousands of civilian fatalities.
▷ loss of life /ˌlɒs əv ˈlaɪfǁˌlɔːs-/ [noun phrase] formal
the deaths of people in an accident or a war :
▪ The plane managed to crash-land on St. Lawrence Island with no loss of life.
▪ The Bishop condemned what he called ‘this futile and tragic loss of life’.
7. when one of your relatives or friends dies
▷ lose /luːz/ [transitive verb]
if you lose a close relative or friend, they die :
▪ Sharon lost her mother when she was very young.
▪ It’s a terrible thing to lose someone very close to you.
▷ be widowed /biː ˈwɪdəʊd/ [verb phrase]
if you are widowed, your husband or wife dies :
▪ Tony’s mother was widowed at the age of 23 with three children.
widowed [adjective only before noun]
▪ He’s gone to stay with his widowed mother in Florida.
▷ be orphaned /biː ˈɔːʳfənd/ [verb phrase]
if you are orphaned, both your parents die when you are still young :
▪ Ben was orphaned at an early age and raised by an uncle.
orphaned [adjective only before noun]
▪ a home for orphaned children
▷ bereaved /bɪˈriːvd, bəˈriːvd/ [adjective] formal
used about someone whose close relative or friend has died :
▪ The bereaved mother stood by her son’s grave.
▪ Bereaved family members are demanding more information about the plane crash.
bereavement [uncountable noun]
▪ Jim’s depression had been brought on by the bereavement he had suffered earlier in the year when a close relative or friend of yours dies .
▪ Bereavement counsellors people trained to help people who have been bereaved have been flown to the city.
8. an illness or accident that you die from
▷ fatal /ˈfeɪtl/ [adjective]
a fatal accident or medical condition kills the person who has it, usually immediately :
▪ a fatal heart attack
▪ Meyer’s car was involved in a fatal accident on the freeway.
fatally [adverb]
fatally injured/wounded
▪ His father had been fatally injured in an explosion in the mine where he worked.
▷ terminal /ˈtɜːʳmɪn ə l, ˈtɜːʳmən ə l/ [adjective]
a terminal illness cannot be cured, and the person who has it will soon die :
▪ Is the disease terminal?
▪ She was recently told she has terminal cancer.
terminally [adverb]
terminally ill
▪ We need to improve the way we treat terminally ill patients.