Idiom
give up the ghost
Meaning
To cease clinging to life; to die.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Examples
“The old car finally gave up the ghost.”
“The office printer finally gives up the ghost during the busiest week.”
“My grandmother's TV gave up the ghost after twenty years of daily use.”
“After years of heavy use in the kitchen, my blender gave up the ghost while I was trying to make a thick fruit smoothie.”
“The local bookstore had to give up the ghost because most people in the neighborhood started buying their novels online instead.”
“The ancient oak tree, which had stood for three centuries, gave up the ghost during the violent winter storm.”
Examples
simple
“The old car finally gave up the ghost.”
“The office printer finally gives up the ghost during the busiest week.”
contextual
“My grandmother's TV gave up the ghost after twenty years of daily use.”
“After years of heavy use in the kitchen, my blender gave up the ghost while I was trying to make a thick fruit smoothie.”
“The local bookstore had to give up the ghost because most people in the neighborhood started buying their novels online instead.”
complex
“The ancient oak tree, which had stood for three centuries, gave up the ghost during the violent winter storm.”
Origin
This is the phrasing used in the King James Bible for the moment of death, where "ghost" carries its older sense of the spirit or breath of life. It appears in passages such as Job 14:10, "man giveth up the ghost, and where is he?", and Mark 15:37, which describes Jesus giving up the ghost on the cross.
Because the King James translation was so widely read, the wording passed into everyday English as a euphemism for dying. It is now applied loosely as well, often to machines and devices that stop working for good.
Key words
Related idioms
Stories
The Passion · See all Biblical origin
The betrayal, trial and crucifixion.
wash your hands of it — To publicly refuse any further responsibility for something or someone.
thirty pieces of silver — A contemptible price paid or accepted for an act of betrayal.
doubting Thomas — One who requires proof before believing.
a cross to bear — A heavy, ongoing personal burden or difficulty that one must carry.
a Judas kiss — An act of betrayal disguised as friendship or affection.
a crown of thorns — An honour or position that brings suffering rather than glory.
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