dead
[adjective]
Synonyms:
- deceased, defunct, departed, extinct, late, passed away, perished
- not working, inactive, inoperative, stagnant, unemployed, useless
- numb, inert, paralysed
- total, absolute, complete, outright, thorough, unqualified, utter
- exhausted, dead beat (informal), spent, tired, worn out
- boring, dull, flat, uninteresting
[noun]
Synonyms:
- middle, depth, midst
[adverb]
Synonyms:
- exactly, absolutely, completely, directly, entirely, totally

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Antonyms: alive, living, viable
Contrasted words: animate, animated, living, vital, being, existing, active, live, feeling, responsive, sensitive, sentient, spirited, vivacious, glorious, resplendent
Related Idioms: dead as a doornail, gone the way of all flesh, out of one's misery, pushing up daisies
Related Words: bloodless, breathless, gone, reposing, inactive, inert, belowground, buried, insensible, insentient, numb, unfeeling, unresponsive, inanimate, unconscious, bleak, dismal

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English Thesaurus: beat, defeat, trounce, thrash, wipe the floor with somebody, ...

[TahlilGaran] English Synonym Dictionary ▲

I. dead¹ S1 W1 /ded/ adjective [no comparative]
[Word Family: noun: dead, death, deadliness; adjective: dead, deadly, deathly; adverb: deadly, deathly; verb: deaden]
[Language: Old English]

1. NOT 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).

2. NOT 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.

3. ALREADY USED already used:
a small pile of dead matches
dead glass/bottle (=one that someone has finished drinking from in a bar or restaurant)

4. BORING [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.

5. NOT ACTIVE/USED not active or being used:
The luxury car market has been dead in recent months.

6. ARM/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.

7. NO EMOTION [not before noun] showing no emotion or sympathy:
Jennie’s eyes were cold and dead.

8. TIRED [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).

9. be dead to the world to be very deeply asleep or unconscious:
Better leave Craig – he’s dead to the world.

10. USED 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).

11. over 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!

12. I 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 embarrassed
I wouldn’t be seen/caught dead in/on/with etc
I wouldn’t be seen dead in a dress like that!

13. IN SERIOUS TROUBLE informal in serious trouble
if ... 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)!

14. be 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.

15. be dead in the water informal if a plan or idea is dead in the water, it is unlikely to continue successfully

16. drop dead! spoken used to rudely and angrily tell someone to go away and leave you alone

17. dead language a dead language, for example Latin or Ancient Greek, is no longer used by ordinary people ⇒ living language at living¹(1)

18. the dead hand of something something which stops or slows your progress, especially a strong influence:
the dead hand of local government bureaucracy

19. PLANET a dead planet has no life on it

20. IN 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]

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

II. dead² S3 adverb informal

1. completely
dead right/wrong
‘It’s a crazy idea.’ ‘You’re dead right!’
dead straight/flat
The road was dead straight.
dead quiet/calm/still
Everything suddenly went dead still.
be dead (set) against something (=completely disagree with something)
Her family were dead against the marriage.
He was obviously dead drunk.
When he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks (=suddenly stopped moving completely).

2. very:
He was dead good-looking.
It sounded dead boring.
dead beat/tired (=very tired)

3. [+ adjective/adverb] directly or exactly:
I stared dead ahead at the doorway.
The bus arrived dead on time.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

III. dead³ noun
[Word Family: noun: dead, death, deadliness; adjective: dead, deadly, deathly; adverb: deadly, deathly; verb: deaden]

1. the dead [plural] people who have died:
Families on both sides buried their dead.
the dead and injured/wounded/dying
Most of the dead and injured had been passengers on the bus.

2. the dead of night/winter the middle of the night or the middle of the winter:
creeping around in the dead of night

3. rise/come back/return from the dead to become alive again after dying:
Christ rose from the dead.

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Contemporary English ▲

dead
adj.
VERBS be, lie His wife lay dead beside him.
look | sham The animal will sometimes escape danger by shamming dead.
drop He just dropped dead one day in his garden.
shoot sb, strike sb Gunmen shot dead a policeman. She had been struck dead by lightning.
find sb The woman was found dead with a rope round her neck.
declare sb, pronounce sb She was declared dead on arrival at the hospital.
ADV. quite I'm afraid he's quite dead.
PHRASES dead and buried (figurative) In ten years he'll be dead and buried as a politician.
dead and gone That won't happen until long after I'm dead and gone.
dead or alive We didn't know whether the fish was dead or alive.
more dead than alive Poor child, she looks more dead than alive.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

dead

lie 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.
clinically dead (=dead based on medical checks)
A person is declared clinically dead when the brain stops working.
a dead body
A dead body has been found in the woods.
long 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.

[TahlilGaran] Collocations Dictionary ▲

dead
adjective
1.
BAD: My father is dead when I was still a baby.
GOOD: My father died when I was still a baby.
BAD: The doctor said that she dead because the wound became infected.
GOOD: The doctor said that she died because the wound became infected.

Usage Note:
Dead is an adjective and describes a state: 'I can't tell whether that plant is dead or alive.' 'Some of the fish were dead and were floating on the surface.'
Died is the past tense and past participle of die : 'I think she died from a heart attack.' 'He died on the way to hospital.'
See also note at DIED

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2.
BAD: The purpose of this ceremony is to honour the dead people.
GOOD: The purpose of this ceremony is to honour the dead.

Usage Note:
When you mean 'dead people', use the dead : 'At this time of the year the villages make offerings to the spirits of the dead.'

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3.
See BODY (body)

[TahlilGaran] Dictionary of Common Errors ▲

beat to get more points, votes etc than someone. Beat is used especially in spoken English:
We should have beaten them easily.
I always beat my brother at tennis.
defeat to beat someone. Defeat is more formal than beat and is used especially in writing:
England were defeated by 2 goals to 1.
Bush defeated Kerry in the election.
trounce /traʊns/ to defeat someone completely in a game:
They were trounced 20–0 by Kuwait.
thrash British English informal, cream American English informal to beat someone very easily in a game:
Of course, they totally creamed the other team.
I hope we thrash them!
wipe the floor with somebody informal to beat someone completely in a game or argument:
She wiped the floor with her opponent in the debate.
They won a £1,000 prize after wiping the floor with the opposition in a bowling competition.
grate to cut cheese, carrot etc into small pieces by rubbing it against a special tool:
Grate the cheese and sprinkle it over the top of the pasta.
melt to make butter, chocolate etc become liquid:
Melt the butter, chocolate, and 1 teaspoon of cream over a low heat.
sieve British English, sift American English to put flour or other powders through a sieve (=tool like a net made of wire, which you use for removing larger grains or pieces):
Sift the flour and cocoa before adding to the rest of the mixture.
chop to cut something into pieces, especially using a big knife:
Chop up the vegetables.
dice to cut vegetables or meat into small square pieces:
Dice the carrots and then fry them in butter.
season to add salt, pepper etc to food:
Season the meat before grilling.
crush to use a lot of force to break something such as seeds into very small pieces or into a powder:
Add one clove of crushed garlic.
mix to combine different foods together:
Mix together all the ingredients in one bowl.
beat/whisk to mix food together quickly with a fork or other tool:
Whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.
stir to turn food around with a spoon:
Stir the sauce gently to prevent burning.
fold something in to gently mix another substance into a mixture:
Fold in the beaten egg whites.
knead to press dough (=a mixture of flour and water) many times with your hands when you are making bread:
Knead the dough for ten minutes, until smooth.
drizzle to slowly pour a small amount of a liquid onto something:
Drizzle with olive oil.
let something stand to leave something somewhere, before you do something else with it:
Let the mixture stand for a couple of hours so that it cools naturally.
serve to put different foods together as part of a meal:
Serve with rice and a salad.
Serve the aubergines on a bed of lettuce.
tired feeling that you want to sleep or rest:
I was really tired the next day.
the tired faces of the children
exhausted extremely tired:
I was exhausted after the long trip home.
He sat down, exhausted.
She immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.
worn out [not before noun] very tired because you have been working hard:
With three small children to care for, she was always worn out.
weary /ˈwɪəri $ ˈwɪr-/ written tired because you have been travelling, worrying, or doing something for a long time:
weary travellers
a weary sigh
He looks tired and weary after 20 years in office.
fatigued formal very tired:
They were too fatigued to continue with the climb.
Because of her illness, she often became fatigued.
drained [not before noun] very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone:
Afterwards, he felt drained, both physically and mentally.
bushed/beat [not before noun] informal very tired:
I’m bushed. I think I’ll go to bed early.
I’m beat. I don’t think I’ll go for a run tonight.
knackered British English, pooped American English [not before noun] informal very tired. Knackered is a very informal use - do not use it in polite conversation:
By the time I got home I was absolutely knackered.
shattered [not before noun] British English informal extremely tired:
When I first started teaching, I came home shattered every night.
dead spoken extremely tired, so that you cannot do anything but sleep:
I was absolutely dead by the time I got home.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

dead no longer alive:
the bodies of three dead soldiers
Is her father dead?
lifeless literary dead or seeming to be dead:
their lifeless bodies
late [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
deceased 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 wife
gone [not before noun] informal dead – used especially when someone was alive not long before:
‘Is she gone?’ ‘I’m afraid so.’
dead right/wrong
You’re dead wrong, so let me handle this.
dead straight/flat
The countryside around here is dead flat all the way to the sea.
dead quiet/calm/still
The room was dead quiet while we waited for Ted to reply.
dead drunk
He came home dead drunk in the middle of the night.
be dead (set) against something (=completely disapprove of or disagree with something)
I’d like to be an actress but Mum and Dad are dead set against it.
be dead set on something (=be determined to do something)
At the moment, Steve’s just dead set on winning the gold medal.
stop dead (in your tracks) (=suddenly stop moving completely)
She was so shocked that she stopped dead in her tracks.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

tired feeling that you want to sleep or rest:
I was really tired the next day.
the tired faces of the children
exhausted extremely tired:
I was exhausted after the long trip home.
He sat down, exhausted.
She immediately fell into an exhausted sleep.
worn out [not before noun] very tired because you have been working hard:
With three small children to care for, she was always worn out.
weary /ˈwɪəri $ ˈwɪr-/ written tired because you have been travelling, worrying, or doing something for a long time:
weary travellers
a weary sigh
He looks tired and weary after 20 years in office.
fatigued formal very tired:
They were too fatigued to continue with the climb.
Because of her illness, she often became fatigued.
drained [not before noun] very tired and feeling as if all your energy has gone:
Afterwards, he felt drained, both physically and mentally.
bushed/beat [not before noun] informal very tired:
I’m bushed. I think I’ll go to bed early.
I’m beat. I don’t think I’ll go for a run tonight.
knackered British English, pooped American English [not before noun] informal very tired. Knackered is a very informal use - do not use it in polite conversation:
By the time I got home I was absolutely knackered.
shattered [not before noun] British English informal extremely tired:
When I first started teaching, I came home shattered every night.
dead spoken extremely tired, so that you cannot do anything but sleep:
I was absolutely dead by the time I got home.
sleepy wanting to sleep very soon, so that your eyes start to close:
I’m feeling quite sleepy. I think I’ll go to bed.
She rubbed her sleepy eyes.
drowsy starting to sleep because you are in a warm place, have drunk too much alcohol, or have taken medicine:
The tablets can make you feel drowsy.
She was beginning to feel a little drowsy after all the food and wine she had consumed.
can’t keep your eyes open/can hardly keep your eyes open to feel so tired that you find it difficult to stay awake:
I’d better get some rest – I can’t keep my eyes open.
He had been driving all night, and he could hardly keep his eyes open.

[TahlilGaran] English Thesaurus ▲

dead
ded
See: catch dead , drop dead , stonedead

[TahlilGaran] English Idioms Dictionary ▲