death

noun

ˈdeth How to pronounce death (audio)
Definition of deathnext
1
as in demise
the permanent stopping of all the vital bodily activities we were all saddened by the death of our friend

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in mortality
the state of being dead death is one of the few constants in the universe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in dissolution
the act of ceasing to exist the death of the Soviet economic system in the wake of the breakup of the USSR

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in downfall
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life that muscle car will be the death of him yet

Synonyms & Similar Words
5
as in massacre
the killing of a large number of people thousands of soldiers were lost on the field of death

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of death Estate planning, which covers your wishes at death or incapacitation, is also important for investors at all income levels. — Kate Dore, Cfp®, Ea,kelli Grant, Cfp®, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026 Investigators are now searching for 31-year-old Angel Carrasco in connection with the death, according to the New York Police Department. — ABC News, 7 Oct. 2026 The goal is to reduce traffic deaths, not make money, so fines will actually be reduced for some people under the poverty line. — Chelsea Hylton, CBS News, 7 Oct. 2026 Vampire lore is often traced to anxiety around death and disease. — Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for death
Recent Examples of Synonyms for death
  1. demise
  2. dead
  3. dissolution
  4. downfall
  5. massacre
  6. fate
  7. mortality
  8. termination
Noun
  • In a conversation with THR, Sloyan dissects playing Margaret, the character’s dark path, surprise reveal, her demise and her pitch for a Margaret prequel.
    — Lexy Perez, HollywoodReporter, 11 Oct. 2026
  • All of us owe the foursome a thanks for hastening the demise of the old Latino political machines that birthed them and kept the city stuck in tribalism for too long.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of demise
Noun
  • According to Wayúu custom, only women are allowed to touch their dead.
    — Nathan Jaccard, Miami Herald, 5 Oct. 2026
  • In the spring just before or just as new growth emerges, remove the mulch and cut the remaining dead stems down to ground level or a few inches above the soil line.
    — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 14 Sep. 2026
Definition of dead
Noun
  • Spears detailed the dissolution of her relationship with Timberlake in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me.
    — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Amuom said the dissolution had contributed to the insecurity by leaving key local government posts vacant.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of dissolution
Noun
  • Tammy Faye stuck by Bakker, often with tears running down her mascara, even as many saw his downfall as a fitting symbol of the greed and hypocrisy of the 1980s.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Famously — or, more infamously in the wake of the company’s downfall — Holmes built Theranos on the false promise that hundreds of medical tests could be run from a single drop of blood.
    — Jordan Moreau, Variety, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of downfall
Noun
  • The vast majority expressed deep distress and anger at their government after the massacres that took place in response to January’s mass protests.
    — Narges Bajoghli, Foreign Affairs, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Galschiøt, who is perhaps best known for his 2021 Pillar of Shame, commemorating the victims of the Tiananmen Square massacre, was invited to bring the sculpture to Strasbourg by left-wing Danish European Parliament member Per Clausen.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of massacre
Noun
  • Told in the course of four decades, and alternating between the perspectives of the couple’s colleagues and children, friends and lovers, Orringer’s novel examines justice, truth, fate, and freedom.
    — The New Yorker, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026
  • Some investors are wondering whether Italy could face a similar fate as the country considers widening its budget deficit.
    — Alex Harring, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of fate
Noun
  • Yes, this film is certainly a meditation of mortality to a degree.
    — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2026
  • Douglas details his volatile relationship with his late father, Kirk Douglas, his son Cameron’s addiction and imprisonment and the Stage 4 cancer diagnosis that forced him to confront his own mortality.
    — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026
Definition of mortality
Noun
  • Two wrongful termination suits, argued by a couple of scrappy lawyers hoping to win a big enough settlement to launch their own firm?
    — Noel Murray, Vulture, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Despite his termination and the legal dispute, sources told Hollywood insider Rob Shuter that Seaver is still asking for money.
    — Allison DeGrushe, StyleCaster, 9 Oct. 2026
Definition of termination

Phrases Containing death

Browse Nearby Words

deasil
death
death's-head
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Death.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/death. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on death

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about death

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 9
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
a cup of tea and a golf ball on tee side by side
Quiz: Sounds Like... Choose the word that sounds like it fits the clue...
See All