(~s)
Frequency: The word is one of the 1500 most common words in English.
1.
Death is the permanent end of the life of a person or animal.
1.5 million people are in immediate danger of ~ from starvation.
...the thirtieth anniversary of her ~...
There had been a ~ in the family...
He almost bled to ~ after a bullet severed an artery.
? birth, life
N-VAR
2.
A particular kind of ~ is a particular way of dying.
They made sure that he died a horrible ~...
N-COUNT: with supp
3.
The ~ of something is the permanent end of it.
It meant the ~ of everything he had ever been or ever hoped to be.
= end
N-SING: usu the N of n
4.
If you say that someone is at ~’s door, you mean they are very ill indeed and likely to die. (INFORMAL)
He told his boss a tale about his mother being at ~’s door...
PHRASE: v-link PHR
5.
If you say that you will fight to the ~ for something, you are emphasizing that you will do anything to achieve or protect it, even if you suffer as a consequence.
She’d have fought to the ~ for that child.
PHRASE: V inflects emphasis
6.
If you refer to a fight or contest as a fight to the ~, you are emphasizing that it will not stop until the ~ or total victory of one of the opponents.
He now faces a fight to the ~ to reach the quarter-finals.
PHRASE emphasis
7.
If you say that something is a matter of life and ~, you are emphasizing that it is extremely important, often because someone may die or suffer great harm if people do not act immediately.
Well, never mind, John, it’s not a matter of life and ~...
PHRASE: n of PHR, PHR n emphasis
8.
If someone is put to ~, they are executed. (FORMAL)
Those put to ~ by firing squad included three generals.
PHRASE: V inflects
9.
You use to ~ after a verb to indicate that a particular action or process results in someone’s ~.
He was stabbed to ~.
...relief missions to try to keep the country’s population from starving to ~...
He almost bled to ~ after the bullet severed an artery.
PHRASE: PHR after v
10.
You use to ~ after an adjective or a verb to emphasize the action, state, or feeling mentioned. For example, if you are frightened to ~ or bored to ~, you are extremely frightened or bored.
He scares teams to ~ with his pace and power...
PHRASE: adj PHR, PHR after v emphasis