ENGLISH
REFERENCE

dead

n.
A2 Elementary Oxford US //ˈdɛd// UK //dˈɛd// dead Archaic General-service Informal Slang

n. no longer living. You use this to describe people, animals, or plants that have died.

n. deprived of life; no longer alive. Typically used as a predicative or attributive adjective to describe the state of an organism after biological functions cease.


SIMPLE

The flowers in the vase are dead.

CONTEXTUAL

The gardener removed the dead branches to help the rest of the tree grow stronger during the spring.

COMPLEX

While the forest appeared dead in the grip of the harsh winter, many species were merely dormant, waiting for the first signs of thaw to reappear.

Synonyms
Antonyms
Origin

From Middle English ded, deed, from Old English dēad, from Proto-West Germanic daud, from Proto-Germanic daudaz. Compare West Frisian dead, dea, Dutch dood, German tot, Danish, Norwegian død, Norwegian Nynorsk daud.

Usage

Primarily used as an adjective; when used as a noun ('the dead'), it functions as a collective plural referring to deceased people.

Pitfall

He is death for two years.He has been dead for two years.Learners often confuse the noun 'death' with the adjective 'dead'.

Idioms38 entries

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