From Middle English ded, deed, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz. Compare West Frisian dead, dea, Dutch dood, German tot, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål død, Norwegian Nynorsk daud, Swedish död.
Meanings
(not-comparable, usually) No longer living; deceased. (Also used as a noun.)
The villagers are mourning their dead.
Lily was pronounced dead at the scene.
raise the dead
All of my grandparents are dead.
The dead are always with us, in our hearts.
Have respect for the dead.
A storekeeper downtown was shot dead last evening.
wake the dead
(not-comparable, usually) Devoid of living things; barren.
Was it possible to exist upon a dead world? 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
a dead planet
Behold the substance from which all things draw their energy, the bright Spirit of the Globe, without which it cannot live, but must grow cold and dead as the dead moon. 1886 October – 1887 January, H[enry] Rider Haggard, She: A History of Adventure, London: Longmans, Green, and Co., published 1887, →OCLC:
(excessive, not-comparable, usually) Figuratively, not alive; lacking life.
When a man's verses cannot be understood, nor a man's good wit seconded with the forward child, understanding, it strikes a man more dead than a great reckoning in a little room. 1600, William Shakespeare, As You Like It, act III, scene 3:
(not-comparable, usually) Utterly exhausted.
“Finished the last one at three this morning, apart from bits and bobs and poppers. Quite frankly, I'm dead!” 1970, Richard Carpenter, Catweazle, Harmondsworth: Puffin Books, page 124:
(not-comparable, of another person, usually) So hated or offensive as to be absolutely shunned, ignored, or ostracized.
I didn't have it in myself to go with grace
And you're the hero flying around, saving face
And if I'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? 2020 July 24, Taylor Swift, “My Tears Ricochet”, in Folklore:
He is dead to me.
(not-comparable, qualifier:literal or hyperbolic, usually) Doomed; marked for death; as good as dead.
"You come back here this instant! Oh, you're dead, mister!"
You're dead. A million and one thoughts pounded her at once. But one overpowered all the others. This time you're dead. 2009, Noel Hynd, Midnight in Madrid:
(not-comparable, usually) Without emotion; impassive.
She stood with dead face and limp arms, unresponsive to my plea.
(not-comparable, usually) Stationary; static; immobile or immovable.
a dead lift
the dead load on the floor
(not-comparable, usually) Without interest to one of the senses; dull; flat.
dead air
a dead glass of soda.
He stopped, took a swig of the dead champagne. It was like 7-Up. 1969 March 31, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Slaughterhouse-Five […] (A Seymour Lawrence Book), New York, N.Y.: Delacorte Press, →OCLC, page 65:
(not-comparable, usually) Unproductive; fallow.
dead fields
The auditorium opens and the seats fill. As ever, there's a brief, grey dead time while Wheeler waits for all the machinery of the performance to spin up. The anxious feeling is stronger than usual today. It grips him, an uncharacteristic urge to run away. Sure, he thinks. I could just junk my career, right now. Pack it in and make for the stage door. Maybe the taxi'll still be there. 2019 April 10, qntm, “CASE HATE RED”, in There Is No Antimemetics Division, →ISBN, page 136:
dead time
(not-comparable, usually) Past, bygone, vanished.
Then shall the Times that were be Times no more; and it may be that the old, dead days shall return from beyond the Rim, and we who have wept for them shall see those days again, as one who, returning from long travel to his home, comes suddenly on dear, remembered things. 1905, Lord Dunsany [i.e., Edward Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany], The Gods of Pegāna, London: [Charles] Elkin Mathews, […], →OCLC, page 40:
(not-comparable, of a place, usually) Lacking usual activity; unexpectedly quiet or empty of people.
For a Friday night, it's really dead in this restaurant.
(not-comparable, of a machine, qualifier:device; or electrical circuit; device; or electrical circuit, usually) Completely inactive; currently without power; without a signal; not live.
Now that the motor's dead you can reach in and extract the spark plugs.
The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel. 1984, William Gibson, chapter 1, in Neuromancer (Sprawl; book 1), New York, N.Y.: Ace Books, →ISBN, page 3:
OK, the circuit's dead. Go ahead and cut the wire.
Joker: Everything cuts out after that. No comm traffic at all. Just goes dead. There's nothing. 2008, BioWare, Mass Effect, Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →ISBN, →OCLC, PC, scene: Normandy SR-1:
(not-comparable, of a battery, usually) Unable to emit power, being discharged (flat) or faulty.
(not-comparable, usually) Broken or inoperable.
That monitor is dead; don’t bother hooking it up.
(not-comparable, usually) No longer used or required.
Is this beer glass dead?
No mark of any kind should ever be made on a dead manuscript. 1984, Winston Smock, Technical Writing for Beginners, page 148:
In this paper, we survey the set of techniques found in the wild that are intended to prevent data-scrubbing operations from being removed during dead store elimination. 2017, Zhaomo Yang, Brian Johannesmeyer, Dead Store Elimination (Still) Considered Harmful:
There are several dead laws still on the books regulating where horses may be hitched.
(not-comparable, usually) Intentionally designed so as not to impart motion or power.
A dead axle, also called a lazy axle, is not part of the drivetrain, but is instead free-rotating.
the dead spindle of a lathe
(not-comparable, usually) Not in play.
Once the ball crosses the foul line, it's dead.
(not-comparable, of a golf ball, usually) Lying so near the hole that the player is certain to hole it in the next stroke.
(not-comparable, slang, usually) Tagged out.
(not-comparable, usually) Full and complete (usually applied to nouns involving lack of motion, sound, activity, or other signs of life).
dead giveaway
dead silence
dead stop
dead sleep
(not-comparable, usually) Exact; on the dot.
dead aim
a dead level
a dead eye
dead center
(not-comparable, usually) Experiencing pins and needles (paresthesia).
After sitting on my hands for a while, my arms became dead.
(Internet, as a standalone word, excessive, not-comparable, often, sometimes, usually, with 💀) Expresses an emotional reaction associated with hyperbolic senses of die: ▸ Dying of laughter.
Lmao I’m dead this was me to my fiancé since I found out in the car and my son was in the back seat 😭 2023 March 3, ihatethis6666666, “I am dead ☠️”, in Reddit, r/vanderpumprules:
(Internet, as a standalone word, not-comparable, often, sometimes, usually, with 💀) Expresses an emotional reaction associated with hyperbolic senses of die: ▸ Expresses shock, second-hand embarrassment, etc.
(not-comparable, qualifier:acoustics, usually) Constructed so as not to reflect or transmit sound; soundless; anechoic.
You breathe these dead news in as dead an ear. c. 1596 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Life and Death of King Iohn”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and Ed[ward] Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, [Act V, scene vii]:
(not-comparable, usually) Cut off from the rights of a citizen; deprived of the power of enjoying the rights of property.
A person who is banished or who becomes a monk is civilly dead.
(especially, not-comparable, often, rare, usually, with "to") Indifferent to; having no obligation toward; no longer subject to or ruled by (sin, guilt, pleasure, etc).
But he died to the guilt of sin—to the guilt of his people's sins which he had taken upon him; and they, dying with him, as is above declared, die to sin precisely in the same sense in which he died to it. […] He was not justified from it till his resurrection, but from that moment he was dead to it. When he shall appear the second time, it will be "without sin." 1849, Robert Haldane, Exposition of the Epistle to the Romans, page 255:
He was dead to the law. Whatever account others might make of it, yet, for his part, he was dead to it. […] But though he was thus dead to the law, yet he […] was far from thinking himself discharged from his duty to God' on the contrary, he was dead to the law, that he might live unto God. 1839, William Jenks, The Comprehensive Commentary on the Holy Bible: Acts-Revelation, page 361:
(not-comparable, usually) Of a syllable in languages such as Thai and Burmese: ending abruptly.
[…] syllable is dead, the tone will depend on whether the vowel is short or long. 2011, Russ Crowley, Learning Thai, Your Great Adventure, page 28:
fi kylmä (of a device: completely inactive; without power) · fur muart (no longer alive) · uk ме́ртвий (no longer alive) · ba үлгән (no longer alive) · li doead (no longer alive) · mk мртов (no longer alive) · tnq operi'to (no longer alive) · ru безжи́зненный (without emotion) · ru у́мерший (no longer alive) · el νεκρός (no longer alive) · uz oʻlik (no longer alive) · az ölü (no longer alive) · de aus (of a device: completely inactive; without power) · haw make (no longer alive) · sk mŕtvy (no longer alive) · de unbewegt (without emotion) · pms mòrt (no longer alive) · pam mate (no longer alive) · de im Eimer (broken or inoperable) · de im Aus (sports: not in play) · io mortinta (no longer alive) · pt dormente (experiencing pins and needles) · nrf mort (no longer alive) · mn үхсэн (no longer alive) · tt үлек (no longer alive) · fa مرده (idiomatic: hated) · rom mulo (no longer alive) · zag nî (no longer alive) · lv miris (no longer alive) · tr ölü (no longer alive) · si මළ (no longer alive) · it morto (no longer alive) · cy marw (no longer alive) · ar مَيِّت (no longer alive) · aln shkum (no longer alive) · lo ຕາຍ (no longer alive) · nb som sover (experiencing pins and needles) · lv nedzīvs (no longer alive) · nl dood (no longer alive) · ro mort (no longer alive) · ja 亡い (figuratively, not alive) · hi भावहीन (without emotion) · mk пцовисан (no longer alive) · ru до́хлый (of a device: completely inactive; without power) · pl rozładowany (of a device: completely inactive; without power) · ru до́хлый (no longer alive) · bn মুর্দা (idiomatic: hated) · hu holt (no longer alive) · hi मरा हुआ (no longer alive) · ky өлгөн (no longer alive) · hu kimerült (of a device: completely inactive; without power) · chr ᎤᏲᎱᏒᎢ (no longer alive) · li kepótte (no longer alive) · tg мурда (no longer alive) · de aus (sports: not in play) · es muerto (no longer alive) · fi raato (no longer alive) · de stumpf (without emotion) · la mortuus (no longer alive) · es muerto (of a device: completely inactive; without power) · de erstarrt (fully and completely motionless) · ru неодушевлённый (without emotion) · hsb morwy (no longer alive) · fi vainaja (no longer alive) · fi kuollut (no longer alive) · ka მკვდარი (no longer alive) · mpi madɨ (no longer alive) · fi tarpeeton (no longer used or required) · osp muerto (no longer alive) · hi मृत (no longer alive) · ca mort (sports: not in play) · dlm muart (no longer alive) · rm mort (no longer alive) · pt morto (idiomatic: hated) · tyv өлүг (no longer alive) · fi tyly (without emotion) · bn মুর্দা (no longer alive) · sc mortu (no longer alive) · tyv шыпшың (no longer alive) · alt ӧлгӧн (no longer alive) · fi rikki (broken or inoperable) · pt morto (no longer alive) · sq mbetur (fully and completely motionless) · ga marbh (no longer alive) · da død (figuratively, not alive) · gl morto (no longer alive) · tl patay (no longer alive) · hu játékon kívüli (sports: not in play) · de gestorben (idiomatic: hated) · ja 亡い (no longer alive) · lad met (no longer alive) · pl zmartwiały (fully and completely motionless) · arz ميت (no longer alive) · orv мьртвъ (no longer alive) · sv död (no longer alive) · gd marbh (no longer alive) · hu lemerült (of a device: completely inactive; without power) · fi käyttämätön (no longer used or required) · de leer (of a device: completely inactive; without power) · fy dea (no longer alive) · dsb martwy (no longer alive) · hi निर्जीव (no longer alive) · ca mort (no longer alive) · is dáinn (no longer alive) · ay jiwata (no longer alive) · ko 죽었다 (no longer alive) · ug ئۆلۈك (no longer alive) · hi मुर्दा (no longer alive) · ce делла (no longer alive) · ko 죽은 (no longer alive) · esu tuqu (no longer alive) · sh мр̀тав (no longer alive) · hu használhatatlan (broken or inoperable) · fr mort (no longer alive) · ky өлүк (no longer alive) · gv neuvio (figuratively, not alive) · iu ᑐᖁ (no longer alive) · pl zmarły (no longer alive) · hsb mortwy (no longer alive) · mn ᠦᠬᠦᠭᠰᠡᠨ (no longer alive) · nn død (no longer alive) · is dauður (no longer alive) · ivv diman (no longer alive) · cmn 死的 (no longer alive) · bg неподви́жен (fully and completely motionless) · id mati (no longer alive) · es finado (no longer alive) · nb død (no longer alive) · hu zsibbadt (experiencing pins and needles) · de hinüber (broken or inoperable) · de regungslos (fully and completely motionless) · sv död (figuratively, not alive) · pl martwy (no longer alive) · id meninggal (no longer alive) · hu tompa (without emotion) · hu tönkrement (broken or inoperable) · sh ȕmrlī (no longer alive) · he מֵת (no longer alive) · fi jännitteetön (of a device: completely inactive; without power) · ba үле (no longer alive) · th ตาย (no longer alive) · ast muertu (no longer alive) · tsg patay (no longer alive) · km ម្រឹត (no longer alive) · tt үле (no longer alive) · tpi dai (no longer alive) · pdt doot (no longer alive) · bg мъ́ртъв (figuratively, not alive) · grc νεκρός (no longer alive) · km ស្លាប់ (no longer alive) · fi kuollut (idiomatic: hated) · hy մեռած (no longer alive) · lad muerto (no longer alive) · lt miręs (no longer alive) · hu érdektelen (without emotion) · li doeaje (no longer alive) · fi kuollut (figuratively, not alive) · se jápmit (no longer alive) · ia morte (no longer alive) · hu mozdulatlan (fully and completely motionless) · be мёртвы (no longer alive) · vi chết (no longer alive) · ht mò (no longer alive) · de eingeschlafen (experiencing pins and needles) · ka მიცვალებული (no longer alive) · ain チ (no longer alive) · eo morta (no longer alive) · fi eloton (devoid of living things, barren) · ru мёртвый (figuratively, not alive) · br maro (no longer alive) · nds dood (no longer alive) · sq vdekur (no longer alive) · kl toqu (no longer alive) · ne मरेको (no longer alive) · ne मृत (no longer alive) · sh mr̀tav (no longer alive) · tk öli (no longer alive) · bg мъ́ртъв (no longer alive) · ja 壊れた (broken or inoperable) · de entbehrlich (no longer used or required) · de abgeschaltet (of a device: completely inactive; without power) · crh ölü (no longer alive) · da død (no longer alive) · fi haaska (no longer alive) · ceb patay (no longer alive) · tyv ыржым (no longer alive) · rup mortu (no longer alive) · de bewegungslos (fully and completely motionless) · fa مرده (no longer alive) · fi tunteeton (without emotion) · lb dout (no longer alive) · fi kylmä (without emotion) · hu döglött (no longer alive) · frp môrt (no longer alive) · tyv ээн (no longer alive) · yi טויט (no longer alive) · wa crevé (no longer alive) · yua kimen (no longer alive) · hu halott (no longer alive) · fy deade (no longer alive) · cu мрътвъ (no longer alive) · lad niftar (no longer alive) · ang dēad (no longer alive) · srn dede (no longer alive) · nap muorto (no longer alive) · hu unalmas (without emotion) · fi turta (experiencing pins and needles) · sl mŕtev (no longer alive) · th เสียชีวิต (no longer alive) · sa मृत (no longer alive) · ru мёртвый (no longer alive) · mk умрен (no longer alive) · pl nieruchomy (fully and completely motionless) · oc mòrt (no longer alive) · fi uhri (no longer alive) · ka გარდაცვლილი (no longer alive) · pl nieżywy (no longer alive) · et surnud (no longer alive) · fi jähmettynyt (fully and completely motionless) · alt ӧлӱ (no longer alive) · rm miert (no longer alive) · hu elromlott (broken or inoperable) · os мард (no longer alive) · hu unott (without emotion) · sc moltu (no longer alive) · ale asxaanax (no longer alive) · ky өлүү (no longer alive) · de reglos (without emotion) · ru сло́манный (broken or inoperable) · is látinn (no longer alive) · de gestorben (no longer alive) · om du'aa (no longer alive) · hu süket (broken or inoperable) · lmo mort (no longer alive) · nl gestorven (no longer alive) · wa moirt (no longer alive) · tr ölmüş (no longer alive) · tyv ölgen (no longer alive) · nb død (experiencing pins and needles) · gv marroo (fully and completely motionless) · el πεθαμένος (no longer alive) · af dood (no longer alive) · el ψόφιος (no longer alive) · sh у̏мрлӣ (no longer alive) · fi eloton (no longer alive) · bn মৃত (no longer alive) · nb død (sports: not in play) · ccc kashele'taka (no longer alive) · nl overleden (no longer alive) · de tot (no longer alive) · sq nëndhe (figuratively, not alive) · ms mati (no longer alive) · ur مردہ (no longer alive) · fi ulkona (sports: not in play) · hu nem létezik (idiomatic: hated) · de leblos (figuratively, not alive) · da død (sports: not in play) · bg неодушеве́н (without emotion) · fi vanhentunut (no longer used or required) · bg изгасен (of a device: completely inactive; without power) · hi बंजर (devoid of living things, barren) · cs mrtvý (no longer alive) · scn mortu (no longer alive) · li kepót (no longer alive) · jv mati (no longer alive) · nl dode (no longer alive) · gv marroo (no longer alive) · hu közönyös (without emotion) · ckb مردوو (no longer alive) · ps مړ (no longer alive) · my သေ (no longer alive) · hu halott (without emotion) · got 𐌳𐌰𐌿𐌸𐍃 (no longer alive) · mba namatay (no longer alive) · vec morto (no longer alive) · fo deyður (no longer alive) · fr mdr (texting or Internet slang: dying of laughter) · kk өлі (no longer alive) · ja 死んだ (no longer alive) · ru неподви́жный (fully and completely motionless) · eo mortinta (no longer alive) · lt negyvas (no longer alive)
From Middle English ded, deed, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz. Compare West Frisian dead, dea, Dutch dood, German tot, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål død, Norwegian Nynorsk daud, Swedish död.
Across the region known as the Landes, this stretch of line is almost dead level, and the only curve is one of 2¼ miles radius through the station of Labouheyre. 1955 June, 'Mercury', “Over 200 Miles Per Hour”, in Railway Magazine, page 379:
dead right; dead level; dead flat; dead straight; dead left
And because the tunnel is dead straight, it's perfect for reaching high speeds. 2023 November 29, Peter Plisner, “The winds of change in Catesby Tunnel”, in RAIL, number 997, page 56:
The ships would leave Europe in April, when there was a good easterly wind. Trans-Atlantic mariners wanted the wind dead on the stern, so they could run with it, sticking to the same latitude—a method called easting and westing. Columbus, Cabot, and many others had done this. 1997, Mark Kurlansky, “Chapter 4: 1620: The Rock and the Cod”, in Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World, Walker, →ISBN:
Independent tests later confirmed [the figures] to be accurate, with Car & Driver seeing 159mph (254kph), 0.60 in five seconds dead, and an amazingly high 0.97g. 2003 December 1, Brian Long, RX-7 Mazda’s Rotary Engine Sports Car: Updated & Enlarged Edition, Veloce Publishing Ltd, →ISBN, page 145:
They tried the gas in the room and it was dead out; they looked at the meter in the basement afterwards and it was dead off. 1923, Ernest Bramah [pseudonym; Ernest Brammah Smith], “(please specify the page)”, in The Eyes of Max Carrados, London: Grant Richards, →OCLC:
dead wrong; dead set; dead serious; dead drunk; dead broke; dead earnest; dead certain; dead slow; dead sure; dead simple; dead honest; dead accurate; dead easy
I knew once a Scotch sailmaker who was certain, dead sure, there were people in Mars. 1899 February, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”, in Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine, volume CLXV, number M, New York, N.Y.: The Leonard Scott Publishing Company, […], →OCLC, part I, page 216:
(not-comparable) Suddenly and completely.
She cut me dead again at the last party.
He stopped dead.
(informal, not-comparable) As if dead.
I was tired of reading, and dead sleepy. 1849 May – 1850 November, Charles Dickens, chapter 2, in The Personal History of David Copperfield, London: Bradbury & Evans, […], published 1850, →OCLC:
dead tired; dead quiet; dead asleep; dead pale; dead cold; dead still
Translations (44)
fi tasan (exactly) · da død- (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · fi suoraan (exactly) · hu haláli (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · bg абсолютно (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · wa fén (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · nl oer- (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · hu totál (exactly) · nl dood- (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · da direkte (exactly) · yue 鬼咁 (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · de total (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · cmn 完全地 (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · hu kegyetlen (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · hu állati (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · bg безусловно (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · hu holt (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · fi juuri (exactly) · nl bloed- (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · ru абсолю́тно (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · eo ĝuste (exactly) · da lige (exactly) · de tod- (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · fi sairaan (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · fi täsmälleen (exactly) · cmn 絕對 /绝对 (exactly) · wa pår (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · el ακριβώς (exactly) · de genau (exactly) · hu teljesen (exactly) · hu halálosan (exactly) · fi kuoleman- (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · ru то́чно (exactly) · sv döds- (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · bg направо (exactly) · wa djusse (exactly) · hu totálisan (exactly) · yue 鬼死咁 (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · ru соверше́нно (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · fi tismalleen (exactly) · yue 到死 (very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly) · bg напълно (exactly) · de ganz (exactly) · ru пря́мо (exactly)
From Middle English ded, deed, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz. Compare West Frisian dead, dea, Dutch dood, German tot, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål død, Norwegian Nynorsk daud, Swedish död.
Meanings
(plural, plural-only, with-definite-article) Those who have died: dead people.
He will come again to judge the living and the dead.
Will the dead rise again?
the quick and the dead
(often, uncountable, with-definite-article) Time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense.
the dead of winter
the dead of night
Near-synonym: nadir
(UK) (usually in the plural) Sterile mining waste, often present as many large rocks stacked inside the workings.
(abbreviation, alt-of, clipping, colloquial) Clipping of deadlift.
eo mortintoj (those who have died) · de Mitte (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · cmn 寂靜 /寂静 (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · fr milieu (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · pl zmarli (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · ru середи́на (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · nl stilte (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · fr cœur (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · fi kuolleet (those who have died) · gd marbh (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · hu kellős közepe (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · srn dedesma (those who have died) · gv dromm (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · unm ànkëlichik (those who have died) · fr profondeurs (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · gv doolaght (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · de Tiefe (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense) · eo mezo (time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense)
From Middle English ded, deed, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic *daud, from Proto-Germanic *daudaz. Compare West Frisian dead, dea, Dutch dood, German tot, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål død, Norwegian Nynorsk daud, Swedish död.
Meanings
(transitive) To prevent by disabling; to stop.
1826, The Whole Works of the Right Rev. Edward Reynolds, Lord Bishop of Norwich, collected by Edward Reynolds, Benedict Riveley, and Alexander Chalmers. pp. 227. London: B. Holdsworth.
“What a man should do, when finds his natural impotency dead him in spiritual works”
(transitive) To make dead; to deaden; to deprive of life, force, or vigour.
Heaven's stern decree, / With many an ill, hath numb'd and deaded me. 1614–1615, Homer, “(please specify the book number)”, in Geo[rge] Chapman, transl., Homer’s Odysses. […], London: […] Rich[ard] Field [and William Jaggard], for Nathaniell Butter, published 1615, →OCLC; republished in The Odysseys of Homer, […], volume (please specify the book number), London: John Russell Smith, […], 1857, →OCLC:
(UK, US, slang, transitive) To kill.
“What, you was just gonna dead him because if that's the case then why the fuck we getting the money?” Sha asked annoyed. 2008, Marvlous Harrison, The Coalition, page 106:
TOMMY:”Honestly, I’d love to help you with that but I’ve got a surplus of motherfuckers that I need to dead right now.” 2020 January 6, Courtney A. Kemp, Matt K. Turner, 33:48 from the start, in Power, season 6, episode 11, spoken by Tommy Egan (E Joseph Sikora):
This dude at the club was trying to kill us so I deaded him, and then I had to collect from Spice. 2006, Leighanne Boyd, Once Upon A Time In The Bricks, page 178:
I shoulda deaded it from genesis instead of hittin' the Guinnesses 2004, “Guinnesses”, in Mm..Food, performed by MF Doom ft. Angelika & 4-IZE:
(broadly, qualifier:African-American Vernacular, slang, transitive) To discontinue or put an end to (something).
"This might be kinda beside the point right now," I said carefully, settling into the chair across from him, "but it's probably time to dead all that open-door no-gun shit, huh?" 2013, Adam Mansbach, Rage Is Back, New York, N.Y.: Viking, →ISBN, page 140:
"Shorty, whatchu got in your pocket? Let me see that hat." ¶ "Nah, man. Dead that." Out would come the .32. ¶ "Oh, aight. You got that, shorty, you got that." 2018, U-God [Lamont Hawkins], Raw: My Journey Into The Wu-Tang, New York, N.Y.: Picador, →ISBN, →OCLC, page 118:
"I thought I told you to shut up," said Jesus. "I don't be laying up with chickenheads, so you need to dead that shit before you piss me the fuck off." 2005, Black Artemis, Picture Me Rollin', New York, N.Y.: New American Library, →ISBN, page 269:
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Labels
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deading
Tense=Pres, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
deaded
Tense=Past, VerbForm=Part
lexicographic
deaded
Tense=Past
lexicographic
deads
Number=Sing, Person=3, Tense=Pres
lexicographic
Deriveds
dead block (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead centre (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead on one's feet (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-heartedly (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · Deadwood (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadheader (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead in the train (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead man (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · more dead than alive (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead time (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead man walking (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead as a doornail (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead coloring (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead yard (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead ball (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-air space (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadhanded (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadpan (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadlock (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadstock (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead rise (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · bottom dead center (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead roll (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead leaf (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadnettle (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadvoice (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead 'n' buried (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · civilly dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · nearly-dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · nose-dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead on arrival (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead march (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · better Dead than Red (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead freight (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · clinically dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadeye (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead center (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead man's float (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead giveaway (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-red (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · undead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead ice (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead dove (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadlight (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead men's fingers (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · medium dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · red-handed (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · temporal dead zone (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead flesh (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-handedness (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead man's penny (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead house (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · kill someone dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · Queen Anne's dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead stop (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadworks (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadtime (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead tree edition (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-and-alive (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · nondead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · to wake the dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead first (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · wake the dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead set (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-hearted (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead duck (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-tree (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead last (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-naming (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadish (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead against (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead men tell no tales (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-centered (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead money (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead flat (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead ringer (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-pan (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead of winter (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadborn (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead hedge (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead beat (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead donkey (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · stop dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · Deadhead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead calm (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead furrow (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · come back from the dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-rope (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · pre-dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadname (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadness (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadleg (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead man's switch (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deader than disco (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · on dead dogs (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead man's arm (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead end (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · drop-dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · red dead-nettle (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadhead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadwork (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead tail (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadline (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · link-dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead pool (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · wouldn't be seen dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · beat a dead horse (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadcart (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead man's hand (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead space (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead shot (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead men can tell no tales (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · drier than a dead dingo's donger (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead stock (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · sit dead-red (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · double-dead meat (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead man's fingers (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · do not eat (Terms derived from all parts of speech; dead dove) · dead as a dodo (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-stock (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead from the neck up (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · halfdead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · only dead fish go with the flow (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-ender (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead president (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · parallel dead space (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · better dead than red (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead men's shoes (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · leave for dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · wouldn't be caught dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead inside (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · walking dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead name (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-bug (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · stone dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · stone-dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead sleep (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead key (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadstick (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead door (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-eye Dick (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · the dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead soldier (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead cake (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-in-shell (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dry as a dead dingo's donga (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · anatomic dead space (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-ball era (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead fly biscuit (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · fit to wake the dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · rise from the dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead wall (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deader than a doornail (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-end (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead pan (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead Internet theory (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadend (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-nuts (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead click (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead colouring (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead arm syndrome (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · Dead Sea (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead language (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadblow (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead men's bells (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · red dead man's fingers (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · genetic dead end (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · semidead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadland (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead on the vine (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadbeat (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead loss (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · predead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead bird (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead wind (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · better dead than Red (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-eye (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead letter office (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead letter (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead men (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-light (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead load (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead code (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-name (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead angle (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead woman walking (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadheartedly (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead line (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead air (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead quiet (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead level (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead person walking (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead fish (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-clothes (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · flog a dead pony (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead man's brake (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadfall (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead wagon (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead as a mackerel (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead ground (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · my cold, dead hands (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead hang (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · braindead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead body (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead tired (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead as a herring (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadrise (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead sticking (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-set (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead to rights (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · brain-dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead nuts (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead 'un (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deaditor (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · like kicking dead whales down the beach (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · top dead center (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead zone (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · raise from the dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead tree (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead bolt (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead stand (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead week (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · flog a dead horse (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead of night (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · half-dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-heartedness (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-stroke hammer (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead cert (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead rising (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead drunk (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead as a kipper (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-wrong (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead reckoning (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead or alive (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead as Hector (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead meat (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · alveolar dead space (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · over my dead body (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · raise the dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead bell (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · physiologic dead space (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · half dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead plate (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-center (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · draw dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · wake up dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-tree edition (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · lantern of the dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · redhanded (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-pay (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead bat (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead silence (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead oil (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadbolt (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead water (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead comet (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead white European male (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadstart (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-on (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead rubber (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-handed (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadheartedness (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead man's handle (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadhouse (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadwood (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · better to be late than be dead on time (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead run (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead spot (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead gold (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · delebrity (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead finish (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · brain dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead and gone (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead melt (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead in the water (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dry as a dead dingo's donger (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead weight (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadman (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead room (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-leg (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · you're a long time dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead to the world (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadheading (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadass (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · drop dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead wrong (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-stroke (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead cat bounce (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead hand (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead media (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · heavy as a dead donkey (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead sea (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-drop (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead as ditch-water (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-eyed (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · put the dead wood on (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead leg (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-born (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-melt (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · play dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead asleep (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-blow (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · trumpet of the dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead section (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead metaphor (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead link (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-ringer (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead amiss (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead horse (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead drop (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead mall (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · knock dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead as a doorknob (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead letter box (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead marine (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-alive (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead wife montage (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-march (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-beat (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead man's rope (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead set against (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead heat (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · live end dead end (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead wife flashback (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead stick (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead-cat bounce (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead pledge (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead bedroom (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead internet theory (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead and buried (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · card-dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · cut someone dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead cat (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · not be caught dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadlatch (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead on (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead wood (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · living dead (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadhearted (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · dead pixel (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · deadlike (Terms derived from all parts of speech) · netdead (Terms derived from all parts of speech)