deaddead1 /ded/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective [no comparative] 
Her mother had been dead for ten years. Police are trying to contact the family of the dead man. a pile of dead leaves the dead body of a young soldier Two men were shot dead by terrorists. Magnus was found dead in his car. One man is still missing, presumed dead. He suddenly had a heart attack and dropped dead. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. His fellow climbers had left him for dead on the mountain. We didn’t know if she was dead or alive. When they found him he was more dead than alive. Her parents were long dead. ► Do not confuse dead, which is an adjective, with died, which is the past tense and past participle of the verb die: The man was already dead (NOT The man was already died).2not working [not before noun] not working because there is no power: I picked up the phone but discovered the line was dead. Suddenly the radio went dead. I think the batteries are dead.3already used already used: a small pile of dead matchesdead glass/bottle (=one that someone has finished drinking from in a bar or restaurant)4boring [not before noun] a place that is dead is boring because there is nothing interesting or exciting happening there: This place is dead after nine o'clock.5not active/used not active or being used: The luxury car market has been dead in recent months.6arm/leg etc a part of your body that is dead has no feeling in it, especially because the blood supply to it has been stopped: When I got up my foot had gone dead where I’d been sitting on it.7no emotion [not before noun] showing no emotion or sympathy: Jennie’s eyes were cold and dead.8tired [not before noun] spoken very tired: I can’t go out tonight. I’m absolutely dead! She was dead on her feet and didn’t have the energy to argue (=used when someone keeps going even though they are very tired).► see thesaurus at tired9be dead to the world to be very deeply asleep or unconscious: Better leave Craig – he’s dead to the world.10used for emphasis [only before noun] completely or exactly – used to emphasize what you are saying: We all sat waiting in dead silence (=complete silence). The train came to a dead stop (=it stopped completely). The arrow hit the dead centre of the target (=the exact centre). I’ve given the whole thing up as a dead loss (=completely useless or a complete failure). John tells me it’s a dead cert, we can’t lose (=something which will certainly happen, win, succeed etc). He fell to the floor in a dead faint (=completely unconscious).11over my dead body spoken used to say that you are determined not to allow something to happen: You’ll marry him over my dead body!12I wouldn’t be seen/caught dead spoken used to say that you would never wear particular clothes, go to particular places, or do particular things, because you would feel embarrasseddead in/on/with etc I wouldn’t be seen dead in a dress like that!13in serious trouble informal in serious troubleif ... I’m dead/you’re dead etc If Mum finds out about this, I’m dead. You’re in dead trouble now (=in very serious trouble)! One word of this to Sam and you’re dead meat (=you are in serious trouble and someone is very angry with you)!14be dead and buried an argument, problem, plan etc that is dead and buried is not worth considering again: The old argument about whether the UK should be a member of the EU should now be dead and buried.15be dead in the water informal if a plan or idea is dead in the water, it is unlikely to continue successfully16drop dead! spoken used to rudely and angrily tell someone to go away and leave you alone17dead language a dead language, for example Latin or Ancient Greek, is no longer used by ordinary people → living language at living1(1)18the dead hand of something something which stops or slows your progress, especially a strong influence: the dead hand of local government bureaucracy19planet a dead planet has no life on it20in sport when the ball is dead in some games, it is no longer on the playing area → (as) dead as a dodo at dodo(3), → dead ringer—deadness noun [uncountable]COLLOCATIONSverbslie dead· If I’m late, Mum worries that I’m lying dead somewhere.drop dead (=die suddenly)· He dropped dead at the age of 52.find somebody dead· A man was found dead in the apartment.shoot somebody dead· He was jailed for life for shooting dead a burglar.leave somebody dead (=result in someone dying – used especially in news reports)· The shooting left at least 28 people dead.leave somebody for dead (=leave someone to die)· The men beat him and ran away, leaving him for dead.pronounce somebody dead (=to say officially that someone is dead)· She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.be feared dead (=used when someone is missing and people are worried that they are dead)· Hundreds of people are feared dead in a ferry disaster.be presumed dead (=used when someone is missing and people think they are certainly dead)· The two boys have not been seen since they fell into the river, and are now presumed dead.adverbsclinically dead (=dead based on medical checks)· A person is declared clinically dead when the brain stops working.nounsa dead body· A dead body has been found in the woods.phraseslong dead (=dead for a long time)· All those people I knew then are long dead now.dead and gone informal (=completely dead)· Let’s face it, we’ll all be dead and gone soon.more dead than alive (=very badly hurt or ill and almost dead)· He was swept up onto a beach after three days at sea, more dead than alive.THESAURUSdead no longer alive: · the bodies of three dead soldiers· Is her father dead?lifeless literary dead or seeming to be dead: · their lifeless bodieslate [only before noun] formal dead – use this as a polite way of talking about someone who has died, especially recently: · Mrs Lombard’s late husband· a gold Cartier bracelet that once belonged to the late American artist Andy Warholdeceased formal dead: · Her parents, now deceased, disapproved of her marriage.· her deceased husband· They were friends of the deceased (=the person who died).departed [only before noun] dead – used in order to be polite and avoid saying the word ‘dead’: · They paid their respects to their departed uncle.· his dear departed wifegone [not before noun] informal dead – used especially when someone was alive not long before: · ‘Is she gone?’ ‘I’m afraid so.’
WORD ORIGINdead1
Origin:
Old EnglishEXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- a dead moon of Jupiter
- a dead tree
- Following the shoot-out six people were dead and three were wounded.
- Her mother has been dead for ten years.
- In summer we get a few visitors, but most of the time this place is dead.
- Is the battery dead?
- It's absolutely dead here when all the students go away for the summer vacation.
- It was autumn, and the path was covered in dead leaves.
- One of the gunshot victims was pronounced dead on arrival at City Hospital.
- She's no longer breathing - I think she's dead.
- The dead man's wife was questioned by police.
- the Dead Sea
- The bar is usually dead until around 10:00.
- The doctor told him that unless he stopped drinking he would be dead within a year.
- These flowers look dead - shall I throw them away?
- Following her hanging, a horse and cart set out from the Grassmarket carrying what was presumed to be her dead body.
- For Dorian, this was more terrible than the dead body in the room.
- It had been going on since 1963 and was continued despite the fact that dead trees proved to be very effective cover.
- She asked, then, if this meant her book was dead.
- So I got that net out of there myself and found a lot of dead fish, but at least no mammals.
- Then there was the business of the dead girl, Melanie something.
- They shot it dead and took the corpse to a government building in Edmonton.
THESAURUS
no longer alive: · the bodies of three dead soldiers· Is her father dead?
literary dead or seeming to be dead: · their lifeless bodies
[only before noun] formal dead – use this as a polite way of talking about someone who has died, especially recently: · Mrs Lombard’s late husband· a gold Cartier bracelet that once belonged to the late American artist Andy Warhol
formal dead: · Her parents, now deceased, disapproved of her marriage.· her deceased husband· They were friends of the deceased (=the person who died).
[only before noun] dead – used in order to be polite and avoid saying the word ‘dead’: · They paid their respects to their departed uncle.· his dear departed wife
[not before noun] informal dead – used especially when someone was alive not long before: · ‘Is she gone?’ ‘I’m afraid so.’
Longman Language Activatordarkness someone or something that is dead has stopped living: · She's no longer breathing - I think she's dead.· The dead man's wife was questioned by police.· The doctor told him that unless he stopped drinking he would be dead within a year.· It was autumn, and the path was covered in dead leaves.· These flowers look dead - shall I throw them away?· Following the shoot-out six people were dead and three were wounded.dead on arrival (=already dead when arriving at a hospital): · One of the gunshot victims was pronounced dead on arrival at City Hospital.
formal use this as a polite way of talking about someone who has died, especially someone who died recently: somebody's late husband/wife/mother/father: · She set up the fund in memory of her late husband.the late President Marcos/John Lennon etc: · He is a big fan of reggae music and the late Bob Marley.
informal completely dead - use this when you are completely certain that someone or something is dead: · By the time we found him he was stone-dead.· Tom poked the bird with a stick. "Yeah, it's as dead as a doornail."
something that is lifeless shows no sign of life - use this about someone's body, or someone's hand or face: · He took the dead girl's hand. It felt cold and lifeless.· The men found Dunlap's lifeless body slumped in the front seat of his car.
especially written people who have died - use this especially about people who died in wars or accidents: · a religious service to commemorate the dead of two World Wars· Four of the dead had been travelling in the same car.· Ordinary Americans are beginning the heart-breaking task of counting their dead.
formal a dead person, especially one who has died recently - used especially in news reports and legal contexts: · The deceased died from an overdose of diet pills.
given to someone or done for someone after they die: · Bentley's relatives are demanding a posthumous pardon from the government.
spoken if someone is pushing up daisies , they are dead - used humorously: · He talks about spending his parents' money as if they were already pushing up daisies.
when a baby is not born alive · "Am I going to lose the baby?'' she asked the doctor.· Patricia lost the baby after six months.
if a woman has a miscarriage the baby comes out of her body far too early for it to be able to live: · She was pregnant during her first marriage, but had a miscarriage.
a baby that is stillborn is born dead but fully developed: · Sadly, the baby was stillborn.· Libby had still not recovered from the shock of giving birth to a stillborn child.
if a baby is born dead , it is not alive when it is born: · The doctor told them that there was a danger their baby would be born dead or brain damaged.
a medical operation to deliberately end a pregnancy so that the baby is not born alive: · The Catholic Church remains strongly opposed to abortion.have an abortion: · One of my friends got pregnant when she was fifteen and had an abortion.backstreet abortion (=a secret illegal abortion by someone who is not trained): · Backstreet abortions left many women unable to have children later.
formal to perform the operation that prevents a baby from being born alive, often because the mother's life is in danger - used especially by doctors: · Doctors may terminate a pregnancy when the life of the mother is at risk.
place not at all interesting or exciting to live in: · This is such a boring town - there's nothing to do in the evenings.· It's so boring here. I wish we lived in L.A.
a town that is dead is boring because nothing interesting happens, and there is nothing interesting to do: · In summer we get a few visitors, but most of the time this place is dead.· It's absolutely dead here when all the students go away for the summer vacation.
spoken if you say nothing ever happens in a place, you mean nothing interesting or exciting happens there: · Nothing ever happens around here. Why do you like it so much?
a dreary place is one where there is nothing attractive or cheerful to see: · I was living in a dreary apartment in a run-down part of town.· Laurie gazed out over a dreary landscape of factories and parking lots.
buildings and places that are drab are not colourful or interesting to look at: · When I came to Manchester from Brazil everything seemed so drab and colourless.· You enter the drab office building half-expecting it to be abandoned.
: featureless landscape/plain/coast etc a large area of land that has no interesting or unusual features: · It was flat, featureless coastline.· In the middle of these otherwise featureless plains is a striking range of mountains.
to die because you are old or ill 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.
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.
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.
spoken informal also snuff it British 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.
to rudely pretend not to notice someone · Don't ignore me when I'm talking to you!· Now that she had lost all her wealth, she was ignored by former friends.totally/completely ignore somebody · The waiter totally ignored Glen and served a girl who had come up beside him.
· Henry waved but Martha pretended not to notice.· If people think you're a beggar, they pretend not to see you.
to pretend not to notice someone that you know, even though you are looking directly at them: · I saw Carrie yesterday, but when I smiled at her she just looked right through me.· In the lift at work, the doctors looked right through you as if you didn't exist.
to ignore someone deliberately, in order to show that you are angry with them or that you have no respect for them: · I couldn't believe Simon had snubbed me at the party.· The senator was furious. "How would you feel if you'd been snubbed by the wife of your president?''snub somebody's invitation/request etc: · They snubbed his invitation to a meeting of foreign ministers at the UN in New York.
to completely ignore someone when you see them, especially because you are angry with them: · I saw Josie today - she must still be angry with me because she cut me dead.· Where he used to cut them dead, he now helps them on with their coats.
informal if someone blanks you, they pretend not to notice you even though your eyes are facing theirs: · I said hello to her in the street, but she just blanked me and carried on walking.
British if a group of people send someone to Coventry , they all agree they will not talk to that person as a punishment: · Unfairly sent to Coventry for two weeks, Hannah decided to run away from school.
WORD SETSasteroid, nounastro-, prefixastronaut, nounastronomical, adjectiveastronomy, nounastrophysics, nounAU, aurora borealis, nounBig Bang, the, nounblack hole, nouncelestial, adjectivecomet, nounconstellation, nouncorona, nouncosmic, adjectivecosmic ray, nouncosmology, nouncosmonaut, noundead, adjectiveearth, nouneclipse, nouneclipse, verbecliptic, nounequinox, nounescape velocity, nounextraterrestrial, adjectivegalactic, adjectivegalaxy, noungeostationary orbit, nounHubble Space Telescope, the, infinity, nounintergalactic, adjectiveinterplanetary, adjectiveinterstellar, adjectiveJupiter, nounlaunch, verblaunch, nounlight year, nounLittle Bear, lunar, adjectivelunar month, nounmagnitude, nounMars, nounMercury, nounmeteor, nounmeteoric, adjectivemeteorite, nounMilky Way, the, month, nounmoon, nounmorning star, nounNASA, nounnebula, nounNeptune, nounnew moon, nounnova, nounobservatory, nounorbit, verborbit, nounorbiter, nounouter space, nounphase, nounplanet, nounplanetarium, nounplasma, nounPluto, nounquadrant, nounquarter, nounquasar, nounradio telescope, nounring, nounrocket, nounsatellite, nounSaturn, nounsea, nounshooting star, nounsolar, adjectivesolar system, nounspace, nounspace capsule, nounspacecraft, nounspace probe, nounspaceship, nounspace shuttle, nounspace station, nounstar, nounstargazer, nounsteady state theory, nounstellar, adjectivesun, nounsunspot, nounsupernova, nountelescope, nountelescopic, adjectiveterrestrial, adjectiveUranus, nounVenus, nounwane, verbwax, verbwhite dwarf, nounworld, nounzenith, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE ENTRYverbs Come and sit down – you must be dead beat. The seas were dead calm. The negotiations have reached a dead end. Although he smiled, Ashley knew he was in deadly earnest. She fell down in a faint. Hundreds of people are feared dead in the ferry disaster. This carpet’s as good as ruined. The girl had been attacked and left for dead. There was a click, then the line went dead (=suddenly stopped working completely). Some snakes fool predators by playing dead. Their nephew was missing, presumed dead. The government’s dead set (=completely determined) against the plan. A woman was shot dead in an attempted robbery. The road was dead straight (=completely straight).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADVERB
· If I’m late, Mum worries that I’m lying dead somewhere.
(=die suddenly)· He dropped dead at the age of 52.
· A man was found dead in the apartment.
· He was jailed for life for shooting dead a burglar.
(=result in someone dying – used especially in news reports)· The shooting left at least 28 people dead.
(=leave someone to die)· The men beat him and ran away, leaving him for dead.
(=to say officially that someone is dead)· She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
(=used when someone is missing and people are worried that they are dead)· Hundreds of people are feared dead in a ferry disaster.
(=used when someone is missing and people think they are certainly dead)· The two boys have not been seen since they fell into the river, and are now presumed dead.
adverbs (=dead based on medical checks)· A person is declared clinically dead when the brain stops working.
nouns· A dead body has been found in the woods.
phrases (=dead for a long time)· All those people I knew then are long dead now.
informal (=completely dead)· Let’s face it, we’ll all be dead and gone soon.
(=very badly hurt or ill and almost dead)· He was swept up onto a beach after three days at sea, more dead than alive.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES (=straight in front) The river is eight miles away dead ahead.
The river is eight miles away dead ahead. Come and sit down – you must be dead beat. (=very boring)
The seas were dead calm.· Every living cell has a nucleus.
British English (=when a doctor says officially that a person is dead) The driver was certified dead at the scene.
The driver was certified dead at the scene. The negotiations have reached a dead end. Although he smiled, Ashley knew he was in deadly earnest. She fell down in a faint. Hundreds of people are feared dead in the ferry disaster.· There were dead flowers in a vase of green water.
(=make it very easy to guess something) He’d been smoking dope; his glazed eyes were a dead giveaway.
He’d been smoking dope; his glazed eyes were a dead giveaway. This carpet’s as good as ruined. (=a job with low wages and no chance of progress)· He had a series of dead-end jobs.
(=a language that is no longer spoken)· She didn’t see the point of learning a dead language.
· The ground beneath the tree was covered in dead leaves.
The girl had been attacked and left for dead. There was a click, then the line went dead (=suddenly stopped working completely). informal (=very lucky)· I was dead lucky to find a parking space right away.
literary (=in the middle of the night when it is quiet)· He drove through the countryside in the dead of night.
(=the phone line stops working or is not working)· Before he could reply, the phone suddenly went dead.
Some snakes fool predators by playing dead. Their nephew was missing, presumed dead. informal (=completely correct, used for emphasis)· You were dead right not to trust him.
The government’s dead set (=completely determined) against the plan. A woman was shot dead in an attempted robbery. (=complete silence)· There was a gasp from Peter and then a dead silence.
(=stop walking suddenly) Sally saw the ambulance and stopped short.
Sally saw the ambulance and stopped short. The road was dead straight (=completely straight).· Among genres long since completed and inpart already dead, the novel is the only developing genre.· On the contrary, if that is where it has to be read, the symbol is already dead.· As far as we can tell all other compartments are flooded, which means that anyone behind those doors is already dead.· Eight years after the mill closed, hundreds were already dead.· There is no doubt that the ventilator may be turned off when in fact, the patient is already dead.· She imagines killing him, but when she finds him he is already dead, his heart having given away.· Beside her lay the body of the boy Francis Joseph Hegarty, who was already dead.· The red spruce decline was continuing though it was statistically leveling off, since most of the spruce were already dead.
· Happily, the urge to commit suicide was itself long dead, buried beneath her need for revenge.· The beetles are long dead now, but their larvae live on.· Grandmama was long dead, and Morland Place now belonged to Uncle James.· Next his child appeared, then others long dead.· With Archbishop Courtenay long dead, there was no one from a greater world to consider.· There was a dried-up riverbed not far away, and along its banks were the skeletons of trees long dead.· Except that it was dead as well, long dead, and blind and rotting.
· Two of the Six were now dead, but there were always two men watching the King.· Chief Inspector, you're talking as if everyone in that car is now dead.· From the text it is not clear whether or not the father is still alive or is now dead.· Beings who were now dead or dying, and who were lying in tangled, dreadfully mutilated heaps.· He's now dead, but Wright and Round has ensured his music will live on by publishing the piece.· Many are now dead, but their survivors want compensation and an apology.· It was all centred on a man who was now dead, a man who had cast her aside long ago.
NOUN· Edinburgh ensures me that no wild animals are caught to replace dead animals.· A dead body smells exactly the same as a dead animal.· Perhaps if I looked further under the bed I would find small dead animals.· The axles of the cart were greased with the fat of dead animals.· But in the end, I learnt how to use the fat of dead animals to make a light.· I learnt to make new clothes for myself from the skins of dead animals.· They also witnessed various nauseating sights including a car piled high with dead animals.· I gave them the meat of the dead animal, and they gave us more food and water.
· Her dead body wears the smile of accomplishment.· A dead body smells exactly the same as a dead animal.· My sister's dead body was carried slowly out of the house and through the village, followed by all of us.· A dead body is liable to do that.· The tide was setting in and the thing came nearer and nearer until she knew it was a dead body.· Royal Humane Society, founded in 1774 for the rescue of persons from drowning, and the recovery of dead bodies.· Because often their parents would make them go and kiss the dead body.
· Like the precise astronomical observations of the Maya, these technical achievements proved to be a dead end.· This was a dead end for me.· It's a dead end isn't it.· But it is at a dead end now.· A sublime, monumental dead end, that has produced some brilliant sado-masochist poetry from band and critic alike.· He thinks they have reached an evolutionary dead end.· And being a dead end, the alley led to nowhere else.· But essentially I was moving away from dead ends more than being drawn toward children.
· His dead hand he arranged, in a careful imitation of life, on his knee.· Then there was Marta from Spartanburg, who was fleeing the dead hand of middle-class rectitude.· It isn't about the dead hand of the past, the unsettled guilt-edged accounts of history returning to haunt the present.· The core of the neoliberal argument is the need to free enterprise and initiative from the dead hand of the state.· Such a move would reimpose the dead hand of state control and political interference.· The main problem is the dead hand of local authorities, which keep tens of thousands of properties empty.· State legislatures and Congress are no longer gripped as they once were by the dead hand of privilege.· It was a dead hand, waving a tiny, posthumous good-bye.
· The trucks bound across the finish in almost a dead heat -- but it is a bad race for both.· We play for about 40 minutes to a dead heat at game point.· If you look merely at voting margins, there is a dead heat.· Phil Gramm finished in a dead heat with front-runner Bob Dole.· Last year the Florida race was, in effect, a dead heat.· Among non-religious-right voters, the race for governor was a dead heat.
· Gullies often become blocked by dead leaves and small stones which fall through the grating.· It looks like a pile of dead leaves in there.· The other nine songs on the album however, rustle past your ears like dead leaves.· He played an almost extinct worm crawling through dead leaves.· Are there any dead leaves on the ground which will tell us the kind of leaf which will soon clothe the tree?· As her mouth opened to gasp her shock it filled with snow and dead leaves.· Do they prefer fresh leaves or dead leaves?· My face was on dead leaves and dried grass and pieces of twig.
· Theoretical reasoning is a dead letter to the child unless it is closely anchored to practical issues.· But these dead letters troubled him, physically even, because they were only beginnings.· I take messages and leave them in a dead letter box.· The fact that the postwar treaty had been a dead letter for many years did not worry either party.
· I recall... the shocking distension and protrusion of the eyeballs of dead men and dead horses.· But dead men paid no ransoms.· I think they did it glumly, without hope: as if they knew they were dead men.· Not so to the young sons of the dead men.· It was hinged on top and it swung back, and I caught the scent of the dead man in the bathtub.
· In my dreams, memories of dead People rise up.· Accusations of election fraud, from ballots cast for dead people to double-voting, are as old as democracy itself.· Sometimes he wondered how many dead people there were to a cloud.· B was running as close to unopposed as a ballot measure can be without the other side being run by dead people.· How many dead people came down with the rain.· On the mantelpiece she displayed photographs of dead people, propped up in their coffins, looking glum.· She recognised a few faces from Amelia's party, but most of the dead people were strangers.· And, finally, what do dead people do all day long?
· They list the name of the dead person and the years they were born and died.· Miss Diedra was now nothing more than a dead person who seemed, incidentally, to be alive.· No dead persons to be buried not thrown in the swamps.· The act of eating a dead person destroys the integrity of visible bodies.· We may think we see the dead person walking down the street, or hear them calling our name.· The cremation ritual was directed mainly at inducing the spirit of the dead person to go on to the afterworld.· I grieved over one dead person and one dying person and I encouraged one to quit smoking.· I put my hands over my eyes to shut out my fears: I'd never seen a dead person before.
· When I looked at the dead woman, instead of feeling sorry for her, I envied her.· Quickly the two apply a massive transfusion of blood which gradually brings back to the dead woman some manifestations of life.· She wouldn't be seeing any dead women getting out of their rocking chairs.· For a long while after that first day, I could not live with the dead woman and her possessions.· It emerged after the trial that the dead woman was the daughter of one of Britain's top psychiatrists.· Maybe the dead woman had brought on the darkness in retaliation for my lack of respect.
· Cut out the dead wood so that the young new wood can grow and develop.· Check for dead wood by scratching the bark with your fingernail.· Basically we looked at dead wood!· And the potential for catastrophic wildfires is very high because of so much dead wood on the forest floor.· He was working in a thicket of briar, elder and dead wood from a fallen tree.· In his frustration, Doug picked up a piece of dead wood and flung it as far as he could.· There's definitely a case for decriminalising the removal of dead wood.· These would originally have been topped with a fence of dead wood or a live hedge to keep the animals out.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY► I wouldn’t be seen/caught dead► drop dead!PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES► dead-end job► better Red than dead► be the (dead) spit of somebody► strike somebody dead
- I'm sorry I didn't hear the phone -- I must have been dead to the world this morning.
- Anyway Amanda was dead to the world.
- You'll marry him over my dead body!
- Father gives the bridal sermon over my dead body.
- Gregory converted it too and Northampton knew they were dead and buried.
- The defensive concepts of prewar days were dead and buried.
- I think you should admit that the government's plans for higher education are now dead in the water.
- Their election campaign now appears to be dead in the water.
- They're saying that the democratic campaign is dead in the water just two days after its launch.
- We are dead in the water, heading into a light wind and surface current.
- Latin is a dead language.
- Also included is the artificial adoption of dead languages for nationalistic purposes.
- He made the dead languages into living literature.
- He stared, then said her words himself, the way he'd spoken Latin as a boy. Dead language.
- There are some who call Yiddish a dead language, but so was Hebrew called for two thousand years.
- the dead hand of bureaucracy
- It isn't about the dead hand of the past, the unsettled guilt-edged accounts of history returning to haunt the present.
- State legislatures and Congress are no longer gripped as they once were by the dead hand of privilege.
- Such a move would reimpose the dead hand of state control and political interference.
- The core of the neoliberal argument is the need to free enterprise and initiative from the dead hand of the state.
- The main problem is the dead hand of local authorities, which keep tens of thousands of properties empty.
- Then there was Marta from Spartanburg, who was fleeing the dead hand of middle-class rectitude.
- What's the matter with you? Are you brain dead or something?
- As laid back as you can get without being declared clinically brain dead.
- But he was pronounced dead, you know the doctor came and said brain dead.
- I knew my sons had been saying that of course Mum would cry - it was a dead cert!
- No, this was a dead cert.
- One candidate, the outgoing Taoiseach and the then leader of Fine Gael, was a cert.
- I saw Josie today - she must still be angry with me because she cut me dead.
- Where he used to cut them dead, he now helps them on with their coats.
- If he's not here on time, he's a dead duck.
- The news program was once considered a dead duck.
- I wrote back, Paz said, I told him, Dada dead as dodo eat your hat.
- The campaign was as dead as a dodo.
- If looks could kill, Dooley Barlowe would have dropped him right there, dead as a doornail.
- She looked dead as a doornail.
- There we were, messing around with his things, and all the time he was dead as a doornail in Paris.
- McSherry dropped dead of a heart attack in the middle of a baseball game.
- One day he just dropped dead in the street.
- One of their neighbors just dropped dead on the tennis court.
- A few months ago, the seven-year-old son of one family we spoke to dropped dead.
- I would not care if I dropped dead tomorrow.
- If this fails to deter the enemy, the possum promptly drops dead.
- In a few minutes the poor beast dropped dead.
- It wasn't printed in the end because he'd just dropped dead the day before, in Rochdale Road.
- Livestock are dropping dead in the fields.
- She dropped dead; her very flesh had melted away.
- They tried to beg, but everyone else was hungry, and they would drop dead in the streets.
- If something is carried on then it is flogging a dead horse or blind ambition.
- They seem to be flogging a dead horse.
- After much searching, the village people gave Kay up for dead.
- Gray had been missing for over a year, and his wife was ready to give him up for dead.
- It is as if he gave them up for dead when they left Shiloh.
- On the thirteenth day, Kasturbai knelt before a sacred plant and prayed; she had given him up for lost.
- The Ojibwa, Gary told me, make no crude distinction between the quick and the dead.
- Indeed, as expectations can kill the magic stone dead, such occasions are often evoked by going somewhere completely new.
- A dreadful thought struck Jean, and she stopped in her tracks, right in the middle of the pavement.
- An hour later they were halted in their tracks by a cataract not marked on the map.
- Blue speaks her name, in a voice that seems strange to him, and she stops dead in her tracks.
- I stopped dead in my tracks, unsure of what to do next.
- It had been stopped in its tracks by the Railway Inspectorate and a public outcry.
- People stop in their tracks and stare.
- Petey stopped dead in his tracks at the question.
- The people had stopped in their tracks, women were making their children stand behind them.
WORD FAMILYnoundeaddeathdeadlinessadjectivedeaddeadlydeathlyadverbdeadlydeathlyverbdeaden
1not alive no longer alive: Her mother had been dead for ten years. Police are trying to contact the family of the dead man. a pile of dead leaves the dead body of a young soldier Two men were shot dead by terrorists. Magnus was found dead in his car. One man is still missing, presumed dead. He suddenly had a heart attack and dropped dead. She was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. His fellow climbers had left him for dead on the mountain. We didn’t know if she was dead or alive. When they found him he was more dead than alive. Her parents were long dead. ► Do not confuse dead, which is an adjective, with died, which is the past tense and past participle of the verb die: The man was already dead (NOT The man was already died).2not working [not before noun] not working because there is no power: I picked up the phone but discovered the line was dead. Suddenly the radio went dead. I think the batteries are dead.3already used already used: a small pile of dead matchesdead glass/bottle (=one that someone has finished drinking from in a bar or restaurant)4boring [not before noun] a place that is dead is boring because there is nothing interesting or exciting happening there: This place is dead after nine o'clock.5not active/used not active or being used: The luxury car market has been dead in recent months.6arm/leg etc a part of your body that is dead has no feeling in it, especially because the blood supply to it has been stopped: When I got up my foot had gone dead where I’d been sitting on it.7no emotion [not before noun] showing no emotion or sympathy: Jennie’s eyes were cold and dead.8tired [not before noun] spoken very tired: I can’t go out tonight. I’m absolutely dead! She was dead on her feet and didn’t have the energy to argue (=used when someone keeps going even though they are very tired).► see thesaurus at tired9be dead to the world to be very deeply asleep or unconscious: Better leave Craig – he’s dead to the world.10used for emphasis [only before noun] completely or exactly – used to emphasize what you are saying: We all sat waiting in dead silence (=complete silence). The train came to a dead stop (=it stopped completely). The arrow hit the dead centre of the target (=the exact centre). I’ve given the whole thing up as a dead loss (=completely useless or a complete failure). John tells me it’s a dead cert, we can’t lose (=something which will certainly happen, win, succeed etc). He fell to the floor in a dead faint (=completely unconscious).11over my dead body spoken used to say that you are determined not to allow something to happen: You’ll marry him over my dead body!12I wouldn’t be seen/caught dead spoken used to say that you would never wear particular clothes, go to particular places, or do particular things, because you would feel embarrasseddead in/on/with etc I wouldn’t be seen dead in a dress like that!13in serious trouble informal in serious troubleif ... I’m dead/you’re dead etc If Mum finds out about this, I’m dead. You’re in dead trouble now (=in very serious trouble)! One word of this to Sam and you’re dead meat (=you are in serious trouble and someone is very angry with you)!14be dead and buried an argument, problem, plan etc that is dead and buried is not worth considering again: The old argument about whether the UK should be a member of the EU should now be dead and buried.15be dead in the water informal if a plan or idea is dead in the water, it is unlikely to continue successfully16drop dead! spoken used to rudely and angrily tell someone to go away and leave you alone17dead language a dead language, for example Latin or Ancient Greek, is no longer used by ordinary people → living language at living1(1)18the dead hand of something something which stops or slows your progress, especially a strong influence: the dead hand of local government bureaucracy19planet a dead planet has no life on it20in sport when the ball is dead in some games, it is no longer on the playing area → (as) dead as a dodo at dodo(3), → dead ringer—deadness noun [uncountable]COLLOCATIONSverbslie dead· If I’m late, Mum worries that I’m lying dead somewhere.drop dead (=die suddenly)· He dropped dead at the age of 52.find somebody dead· A man was found dead in the apartment.shoot somebody dead· He was jailed for life for shooting dead a burglar.leave somebody dead (=result in someone dying – used especially in news reports)· The shooting left at least 28 people dead.leave somebody for dead (=leave someone to die)· The men beat him and ran away, leaving him for dead.pronounce somebody dead (=to say officially that someone is dead)· She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.be feared dead (=used when someone is missing and people are worried that they are dead)· Hundreds of people are feared dead in a ferry disaster.be presumed dead (=used when someone is missing and people think they are certainly dead)· The two boys have not been seen since they fell into the river, and are now presumed dead.adverbsclinically dead (=dead based on medical checks)· A person is declared clinically dead when the brain stops working.nounsa dead body· A dead body has been found in the woods.phraseslong dead (=dead for a long time)· All those people I knew then are long dead now.dead and gone informal (=completely dead)· Let’s face it, we’ll all be dead and gone soon.more dead than alive (=very badly hurt or ill and almost dead)· He was swept up onto a beach after three days at sea, more dead than alive.THESAURUSdead no longer alive: · the bodies of three dead soldiers· Is her father dead?lifeless literary dead or seeming to be dead: · their lifeless bodieslate [only before noun] formal dead – use this as a polite way of talking about someone who has died, especially recently: · Mrs Lombard’s late husband· a gold Cartier bracelet that once belonged to the late American artist Andy Warholdeceased formal dead: · Her parents, now deceased, disapproved of her marriage.· her deceased husband· They were friends of the deceased (=the person who died).departed [only before noun] dead – used in order to be polite and avoid saying the word ‘dead’: · They paid their respects to their departed uncle.· his dear departed wifegone [not before noun] informal dead – used especially when someone was alive not long before: · ‘Is she gone?’ ‘I’m afraid so.’- Southern Ireland
- Southern Lights
- southernmost
- Southern States
- Southey, Robert
- South Georgia
- South Glamorgan
- South Island
- South Kensington
- South Korea
- South of France
- South Pacific
- southpaw
- South Pole
- South Sea
- South Sea Bubble
- South Seas
- South Wales
- southward
- southwards
- Southwark
- southwest
- southwesterly
- southwestern
- southwestward