give up the ghost
To cease clinging to life; to die.
Meaning adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
“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.”
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.
- 01
don't give up your day job
Somewhat sarcastic but usually good-natured advice used to criticise a person's degree of talent (especially in music or other performing arts), implying that they are unlikely to be successful.
- 02
ghost at the feast
A presence that mars one's enjoyment by causing guilt or reviving unwelcome memories.
- 03
ghost from one's past
Something unpleasant from one's past that "haunts" them (makes them feel uneasy) to the present day.
- 04
ghost home
A residence intentionally kept vacant by an absentee owner, especially a foreign investor, as a financially safe asset to be liquidated at a convenient time.
- 05
give a damn
To be concerned about, have an interest in, to care (about something).
- 06
give a fuck
To care; to give a shit.
- 07
give a good account of oneself
To act in a creditable manner.
- 08
give a hang
give a hoot; give a damn (to care about; to place value on something)
The betrayal, trial and crucifixion.
- 01
wash your hands of it (idiom)
To publicly refuse any further responsibility for something or someone.
- 02
thirty pieces of silver (idiom)
A contemptible price paid or accepted for an act of betrayal.
- 03
doubting Thomas (idiom)
One who requires proof before believing.
- 04
a cross to bear (idiom)
A heavy, ongoing personal burden or difficulty that one must carry.
- 05
a Judas kiss (idiom)
An act of betrayal disguised as friendship or affection.
- 06
a crown of thorns (idiom)
An honour or position that brings suffering rather than glory.
Last updated August 10, 2026