sudden death

noun

1

: unexpected death that is instantaneous or occurs within minutes from any cause other than violence

sudden death following coronary occlusion

2

: extra play to break a tie in a sports contest in which the first to score or gain the lead wins

Examples of sudden death in a Sentence

We won 27–24 in sudden death.

a serious heart condition that can result in sudden death

Recent Examples on the Web

In March 2024, the reality TV mogul announced the sudden death of her sister at 65 years old in a heartfelt Instagram post. —Mckinley Franklin, People.com, 20 Mar. 2025

In 2021, the band announced the sudden death of their longtime guitarist, Dusty Hill. —Christina Dugan Ramirez, Fox News, 18 Mar. 2025

Shepard was recently promoted from fire captain to the dual positions for the department that protects areas around Placerville and the Highway 49 corridor, in December, district officials said Monday in a statement announcing his sudden death. —Darrell Smith, Sacramento Bee, 18 Mar. 2025

The 42-year-old from Stone Mountain, Ga., continued to learn lessons from her mother, even after her sudden death from sepsis. —Suzanne Nuyen, NPR, 9 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for sudden death

• shibboleth
• beth
• breath
• heth
• lethe
• meth
• seth
• sheth
• sneath

Kids Definition

sudden death

noun

: extra play to break a tie in a sports contest in which the first to score or gain the lead wins

Medical Definition

sudden death

noun

: unexpected death that is instantaneous or occurs within minutes or hours from any cause other than violence

sudden death following coronary occlusion

especially : sudden cardiac death