What does dead mean?

Definitions for dead
dɛddead

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word dead.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. deadnoun

    people who are no longer living

    "they buried the dead"

  2. deadadjective

    a time when coldness (or some other quality associated with death) is intense

    "the dead of winter"

  3. deadadjective

    no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

    "the nerve is dead"; "a dead pallor"; "he was marked as a dead man by the assassin"

  4. deadadjective

    not showing characteristics of life especially the capacity to sustain life; no longer exerting force or having energy or heat

    "Mars is a dead planet"; "dead soil"; "dead coals"; "the fire is dead"

  5. all in(p), beat(p), bushed(p), dead(p)adjective

    very tired

    "was all in at the end of the day"; "so beat I could flop down and go to sleep anywhere"; "bushed after all that exercise"; "I'm dead after that long trip"

  6. deadadjective

    unerringly accurate

    "a dead shot"; "took dead aim"

  7. deadadjective

    physically inactive

    "Crater Lake is in the crater of a dead volcano of the Cascade Range"

  8. dead(p), numb(p)adjective

    (followed by `to') not showing human feeling or sensitivity; unresponsive

    "passersby were dead to our plea for help"; "numb to the cries for mercy"

  9. dead, deadenedadjective

    devoid of physical sensation; numb

    "his gums were dead from the novocain"; "she felt no discomfort as the dentist drilled her deadened tooth"; "a public desensitized by continuous television coverage of atrocities"

  10. deadadjective

    lacking acoustic resonance

    "dead sounds characteristic of some compact discs"; "the dead wall surfaces of a recording studio"

  11. dead, idleadjective

    not yielding a return

    "dead capital"; "idle funds"

  12. dead(a), stagnantadjective

    not circulating or flowing

    "dead air"; "dead water"; "stagnant water"

  13. deadadjective

    not surviving in active use

    "Latin is a dead language"

  14. deadadjective

    lacking resilience or bounce

    "a dead tennis ball"

  15. deadadjective

    out of use or operation because of a fault or breakdown

    "a dead telephone line"; "the motor is dead"

  16. deadadjective

    no longer having force or relevance

    "a dead issue"

  17. dead(a), utteradjective

    complete

    "came to a dead stop"; "utter seriousness"

  18. dead, drainedadjective

    drained of electric charge; discharged

    "a dead battery"; "left the lights on and came back to find the battery drained"

  19. deadadverb

    devoid of activity

    "this is a dead town; nothing ever happens here"

  20. abruptly, suddenly, short, deadadverb

    quickly and without warning

    "he stopped suddenly"

  21. absolutely, perfectly, utterly, deadadverb

    completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers

    "an absolutely magnificent painting"; "a perfectly idiotic idea"; "you're perfectly right"; "utterly miserable"; "you can be dead sure of my innocence"; "was dead tired"; "dead right"

Wiktionary

  1. deadnoun

    Time when coldness, darkness, or stillness is most intense.

    The dead of night. The dead of winter.

  2. deadnoun

    Those who have died.

    Have respect for the dead.

  3. deadverb

    to prevent by disabling; stop

  4. deadadverb

    Exactly right.

    He hit the target dead in the centre.

  5. deadadverb

    Very, absolutely, extremely, suddenly.

  6. deadadjective

    No longer living.

    dead stop; dead sleep; dead giveaway; dead silence

  7. deadadjective

    Full and complete.

    dead stop; dead sleep; dead giveaway; dead silence

  8. deadadjective

    Exact.

    dead center; dead aim; a dead eye; a dead level

  9. deadadjective

    Figuratively, not alive; lacking life

    dead center; dead aim; a dead eye; a dead level

  10. deadadjective

    So hated that they are absolutely ignored.

    He is dead to me.

  11. deadadjective

    Experiencing pins and needles (paresthesia).

    He is dead to me.

  12. deadadjective

    (Certain to be) in big trouble.

    She stood with dead face and limp arms, unresponsive to my plea.

  13. deadadjective

    Without emotion.

    She stood with dead face and limp arms, unresponsive to my plea.

  14. deadadjective

    Stationary; static.

    the dead load on the floor; a dead lift.

  15. deadadjective

    Without interest to one of the senses; dull; flat.

    dead air; a dead glass of soda.

  16. deadadjective

    Unproductive.

    dead time; dead fields; also in compounds.

  17. deadadjective

    Completely inactive; without power; without a signal.

  18. deadadjective

    Broken or inoperable.

    That monitor is dead; don't bother hooking it up.

  19. deadadjective

    No longer used or required.

  20. deadadjective

    Not in play.

    Once the ball crosses the foul line, it's dead.

  21. Etymology: From ded, deed, from dead

Samuel Johnson's Dictionary

  1. DEADadjective

    Etymology: dead, Sax. dood, Dutch.

    The queen, my lord, is dead:
    ———— She should have died hereafter. William Shakespeare, Macbeth.

    A brute or a man are another thing, when they are alive, from what they are when dead. Matthew Hale, Origin of Mankind.

    She either from her hopeless lover fled,
    Or with disdainful glances shot him dead. Dryden.

    This Indian told them, that, mistaking their course, the crew, all except himself, were dead of hunger. Arbuthnot.

    All, all but truth, drops dead-born from the press,
    Like the last gazette, or the last address. Alexander Pope, Dial. ii.

    At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both the chariot and horse are cast into a dead sleep. Ps. lxxvi. 6.

    Anointing of the forehead, neck, feet, and backbone, we know is used for procuring dead sleeps. Francis Bacon, Nat. History.

    The tin sold sometimes higher, and sometimes lower, according to the quick vent and abundance, or the dead sale and scarcety. Richard Carew, Survey of Cornwall.

    Nay, there’s a time when ev’n the rolling year
    Seems to stand still: dead calms are in the ocean,
    When not a breath disturbs the drousy main. Nathaniel Lee, Oedipus.

    They cannot bear the dead weight of unemployed time lying upon their hands, nor the uneasiness it is to do nothing at all. John Locke, on Education, sect. 207.

    This colour, nevertheless, often carries the mind away; yea, it deceiveth the sense; and it seemeth to the eye a shorter distance of way, if it be all dead and continued, than if it have trees or buildings, or any other marks whereby the eye may divide it. Francis Bacon, Col. of Good and Evil.

    Nought but a blank remains, and a dead void space,
    A step of life, that promis’d such a race. Dryden.

    The commodities of the kingdom they took, though they lay dead upon their hands for want of vent. Francis Bacon, Hen. VII.

    Persuade a prince that he is irresistible, and he will take care not to let so glorious an attribute lie dead and useless by him. Joseph Addison, Whig Examiner.

    Travelling over the mountain Amanus, then covered with deep snow, they came in the dead Winter to Aleppo in Syria. Richard Knolles, History of the Turks.

    There is something unspeakably chearful in a spot of ground which is covered with trees, that smiles amidst all the rigours of Winter, and gives us a view of the most gay season in the midst of that which is the most dead and melancholy. Joseph Addison, Spect.

    Their flight was only deferred until they might cover their disorders by the dead darkness of the night. John Hayward.

    At a second sitting, though I alter not the draught, I must touch the same features over again, and change the dead colouring of the whole. John Dryden, Fab. Preface.

    We took a bell of about two inches in diameter at the bottom, which was supported, in the midst of the cavity of the receiver, by a bent stick, by reason of its spring against the opposite parts of the inside of the vessel; in which, when it was closed up, we observed that the bell seemed to sound more dead than it did when just before it sounded in the open air. Robert Boyle, Spring of the Air.

    How cold and dead does a prayer appear, that is composed in the most elegant forms of speech, when it is not heightened by solemnity of phrase from the sacred writings. Joseph Addison, Spect.

    Somewhat is left under dead walls and dry ditches. Arbuthn.

    You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins. Ephes. ii. 1.

  2. The Deadnoun

    Dead men.

    Jove saw from high, with just disdain,
    The dead inspir’d with vital life again. John Dryden, Æn. b. vii.

    The ancient Romans generally buried their dead near the great roads. Joseph Addison, Remarks on Italy.

    That the dead shall rise and live again, is beyond the discovery of reason, and is purely a matter of faith. John Locke.

    The tow’ring bard had sung in nobler lays,
    How the last trumpet wakes the lazy dead. Smith.

  3. Deadnoun

    Time in which there is remarkable stillness or gloom; as at midwinter, and midnight.

    After this life, to hope for the favours of mercy then, is to expect an harvest in the dead of winter. Robert South, Sermons.

    In the dead of the night, when the men and their dogs were all fast asleep. Roger L'Estrange.

    At length, in dead of night, the ghost appears
    Of her unhappy lord. John Dryden, Virg. Æn.

  4. To Dead, To Deadenverb

    That the sound may be extinguished or deaded by discharging the pent air, before it cometh to the mouth of the piece, and to the open air, is not probable. Francis Bacon, Nat. Hist.

    It is requisite that the tympanum be tense, and hard stretched, otherwise the laxness of that membrane will certainly dead and damp the sound. William Holder, Elements of Speech.

    This motion would be quickly deadened by countermotions; and we should not remember any thing, but ’till the next impression. Joseph Glanvill, Sceps. c. 6.

    We will not oppose any thing to them that is hard and stubborn, but by a soft answer deaden their force by degrees. Thomas Burnet, Theory of the Earth.

    Our dreams are great instances of that activity which is natural to the human soul, and which is not in the power of sleep to deaden or abate. Spectator, №. 487.

    Anodyne, or abaters of pain, are such things as relax the tension of the affected nervous fibres, or destroy the particular acrimony which occasions the pain, or what deadens the sensation of the brain by procuring sleep. John Arbuthnot, on Diet.

    The beer and the wine, as well within water as above, have not been palled or deaded at all. Francis Bacon, Natural History.

  5. To Deadverb

    To lose force, of whatever kind.

    Etymology: from the noun.

    So iron, as soon as it is out of the fire, deadeth straitways. Francis Bacon, Natural History, №. 774.

ChatGPT

  1. dead

    Dead is an adjective that describes something or someone that is no longer alive, lacking any signs of life or activity, and incapable of functioning or responding. It can also refer to something that is no longer in use, relevant, or effective.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Deadadjective

    deprived of life; -- opposed to alive and living; reduced to that state of a being in which the organs of motion and life have irrevocably ceased to perform their functions; as, a dead tree; a dead man

  2. Deadadjective

    destitute of life; inanimate; as, dead matter

  3. Deadadjective

    resembling death in appearance or quality; without show of life; deathlike; as, a dead sleep

  4. Deadadjective

    still as death; motionless; inactive; useless; as, dead calm; a dead load or weight

  5. Deadadjective

    so constructed as not to transmit sound; soundless; as, a dead floor

  6. Deadadjective

    unproductive; bringing no gain; unprofitable; as, dead capital; dead stock in trade

  7. Deadadjective

    lacking spirit; dull; lusterless; cheerless; as, dead eye; dead fire; dead color, etc

  8. Deadadjective

    monotonous or unvaried; as, a dead level or pain; a dead wall

  9. Deadadjective

    sure as death; unerring; fixed; complete; as, a dead shot; a dead certainty

  10. Deadadjective

    bringing death; deadly

  11. Deadadjective

    wanting in religious spirit and vitality; as, dead faith; dead works

  12. Deadadjective

    flat; without gloss; -- said of painting which has been applied purposely to have this effect

  13. Deadadjective

    not brilliant; not rich; thus, brown is a dead color, as compared with crimson

  14. Deadadjective

    cut off from the rights of a citizen; deprived of the power of enjoying the rights of property; as, one banished or becoming a monk is civilly dead

  15. Deadadjective

    not imparting motion or power; as, the dead spindle of a lathe, etc. See Spindle

  16. Deadadverb

    to a degree resembling death; to the last degree; completely; wholly

  17. Deadnoun

    the most quiet or deathlike time; the period of profoundest repose, inertness, or gloom; as, the dead of winter

  18. Deadnoun

    one who is dead; -- commonly used collectively

  19. Deadverb

    to make dead; to deaden; to deprive of life, force, or vigor

  20. Deadverb

    to die; to lose life or force

Wikidata

  1. Dead

    Per Yngve Ohlin, better known by his stage name Dead, was a Swedish black metal vocalist and lyricist best known for his work with Norwegian black metal band Mayhem. He also performed as vocalist of the Swedish death metal band Morbid on their demo December Moon. Roadrunner Records ranked him No. 48 out of 50 of The Greatest Metal Front-Men of All Time.

The New Hacker's Dictionary

  1. dead

    1. Non-functional; down; crashed. Especially used of hardware. 2. At XEROX PARC, software that is working but not undergoing continued development and support. 3. Useless; inaccessible. Antonym: live. Compare dead code.

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz

  1. DEAD

    Without life. See Boston. DEADER Pompeii. DEADEST Philadelphia.

Suggested Resources

  1. dead

    Song lyrics by dead -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by dead on the Lyrics.com website.

  2. DEAD

    What does DEAD stand for? -- Explore the various meanings for the DEAD acronym on the Abbreviations.com website.

Matched Categories

British National Corpus

  1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'dead' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #866

  2. Written Corpus Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'dead' in Written Corpus Frequency: #1169

  3. Adjectives Frequency

    Rank popularity for the word 'dead' in Adjectives Frequency: #99

Anagrams for dead »

  1. adde

  2. Dade

  3. Edda

How to pronounce dead?

How to say dead in sign language?

Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of dead in Chaldean Numerology is: 5

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of dead in Pythagorean Numerology is: 5

Examples of dead in a Sentence

  1. Chris Harmer:

    If the moderates separate themselves from Nusra, immediately the Russians and Assad go kill them, the idea that the moderate rebels will separate themselves from Nusra is just not going to happen. It (the administration plan) is a Hail Mary pass that is dead on arrival.

  2. John Hagee:

    Any time there is this kind of hateful act toward our citizens, Christians and Jews are going to unite and continue to press the issue until we have complete resolution, we are going to stand very forcefully – right now. We want to send a message – this is not going to be tolerated – not paint, not bricks tomorrow, not blood later. It stops right here and it stops dead in its tracks.

  3. Tim McCarley:

    They told us to get the hell out ’cause if not, you’re dead.

  4. Wilber Salvatierra:

    We embarked across the Darién with a total 339 people, about 230 reached Panama. Many died. We saw bodies... on the side of rivers. A friend traveling with his young son said he could not stop thinking of a dead child he saw.

  5. Nicholas Alahverdian:

    Sylvia Plath’s writing, to her, broke open the “vaults of the dead

Popularity rank by frequency of use

dead#1#1700#10000

Translations for dead

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    relating to a technique that does not involve puncturing the skin or entering a body cavity
    A obnoxious
    B handsome
    C squashy
    D noninvasive

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