1
as in deceased
no longer living
I inherited this heirloom from my dead great-grandfather
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Relevance
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2
as in slow
lacking in gaiety, movement, or animation
the store is often dead after 4:00 p.m.
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3
as in tired
depleted in strength, energy, or freshness
a long day of traveling left them just dead
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4
as in absolute
having no exceptions or restrictions
there was a dead silence following that incredibly moving performance
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5
as in numb
lacking in sensation or feeling
my foot was dead after I absentmindedly sat on it for an hour
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6
as in extinct
no longer existing
the dead Babylonian culture
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7
as in dormant
not being in a state of use, activity, or employment
local coal mines that have been dead for years
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8
as in deadly
of, relating to, or suggestive of death
fell into a dead faint upon hearing the news
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9
10
as in bland
lacking in taste or flavor
from the first sip I could tell that the wine hadn't aged well and was pretty much dead
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11
as in barren
producing inferior or only a small amount of vegetation
the dead wastes of the far country to the west
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1
as in straight
in a direct line or course
the finish line is dead ahead
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2
as in completely
to a full extent or degree
I'm dead certain that's the one I want
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as in death
the state of being dead
it's impossible to raise someone from the dead
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Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of dead
Makena Gera, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
Chen is dead but his body has not been recovered or returned.
—Eugenia Yosef, CNN, 12 Jan. 2025
Marc Weiszer, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
In Snyder’s final season in charge, a franchise that once led the league in average attendance ranked dead last.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025
That investigation led reporters to North Texas, where officials had come to treat the unclaimed dead not as an expensive burden but as a free resource.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dead 
Adjective
Everybody connected to the death of this poor guy is dead now.
—Makena Gera, People.com, 12 Jan. 2025
Chen is dead but his body has not been recovered or returned.
—Eugenia Yosef, CNN, 12 Jan. 2025
Adverb
The Commodores are 6-5 overall and ahead of four other teams after being picked to finish dead last in the 16-team conference.
—Marc Weiszer, The Tennessean, 20 Dec. 2024
In Snyder’s final season in charge, a franchise that once led the league in average attendance ranked dead last.
—Greg Rosenstein, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
Noun
For the Himalayan monks of the early teen centuries, the ideal setting for initiation was a charnel ground, where people left their dead to be eaten by wild animals.
—Jackson Arn, The New Yorker, 2 Jan. 2025
That investigation led reporters to North Texas, where officials had come to treat the unclaimed dead not as an expensive burden but as a free resource.
—Mike Hixenbaugh, NBC News, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for dead
Recent Examples of Synonyms for dead
Adjective
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While 62 of them are believed to be alive, 36 are assessed to be deceased.Caitlin McFall, Fox News, 16 Jan. 2025
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Talks would then pivot to a third phase, during which Hamas would return the remains of deceased hostages, and the reconstruction of Gaza, a massive undertaking, would be launched.Dina Kraft, The Christian Science Monitor, 16 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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But Williams and the Bears offense, which have struggled all season with slow starts, certainly didn’t look cool and collected prior to the fourth quarter.Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2025
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The commission’s slow start is illustrated by its handling of two complaints filed in May against state Rep. Emily O’Brien.Jacob Orledge, ProPublica, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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People are tired of prescribed approaches to their work.Glenn Llopis, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025
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In Germany in the early 1930s, many people were tired of violence, uncertainty, and a failing economy and hoped that a strong leader would heed their concerns and come up with new and effective solutions to bring better and calmer days.Margaret MacMillan, Foreign Affairs, 7 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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No other sport gets the type of passion and the type of excitement and the type of absolute and complete dedication.Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times, 7 Jan. 2025
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The second required only one completion, an absolute laser over the middle to DJ Moore for 27 yards to set up Cairo Santos’ game-tying 48-yard field goal as time expired.Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 6 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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Although the mercury hovered at only 5°, all of us became so absorbed in the rabbit chase that no one noticed numb toes and cold ears.Erwin A. Bauer, Outdoor Life, 25 Dec. 2024
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The next day, the 34-year-old mom’s left arm went numb and started tingling.Wendy Grossman Kantor, People.com, 25 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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The company's ambitious goal is to resurrect extinct species like the woolly mammoth, the dodo, and the Tasmanian tiger.Michael Gfoeller And David H. Rundell, Newsweek, 16 Jan. 2025
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As if that wasn’t involved enough, there was an extra degree of difficulty added in those moments where Orlok speaks Dacian, an extinct language, in scenes where the vampire communicates with Ellen via their psychic connection.Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 31 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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Many plants go dormant, with their tops dying back and all their energy stored safely below ground.Kim Toscano, Southern Living, 4 Jan. 2025
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The five-square-mile island is almost entirely a hilly volcano (dormant, don’t worry) and with very little flat land to host an airport.Johanna Read, Forbes, 21 Dec. 2024
Adjective
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In August, the main global body analyzing food crises, the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification's Famine Review Committee (FRC), warned that mass famine in Sudan fueled by the conflict could be on track to become the deadliest famine in over a decade.Kevin Lynn, Newsweek, 8 Jan. 2025
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The series takes place in the 20-year aftermath of a deadly outbreak of mutant fungus (Cordyceps) that turns humans into monstrous zombie-like creatures (the Infected, or Clickers).Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 7 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near dead
Cite this Entry
“Dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dead. Accessed 20 Jan. 2025.
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