die

die¹ W1S1 [daı] v past tense and past participle died present participle dying third person singular dies

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1¦(become dead)¦

2¦(disappear)¦

3¦(machines)¦

4 be dying for something/to do something

5 be dying of hunger/thirst/boredom

6 I nearly died/I could have died

7 I'd rather die

8 in the dying minutes/seconds/moments (of something)

9 old habits/traditions/customs die hard

10 never say die

11 die a/the death

12 die laughing

13 to die for

Phrasal verbs

　die away

　die back

　die down

　die off

　die out

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[Date: 1100-1200; Origin: Probably from [i]Old Norse deyja]

1.) ¦(BECOME DEAD)¦

to stop living and become dead

▪ He died in 1985 at the age of 76.

▪ Her father died suddenly in an accident when she was only ten.

die of/from

▪ The animals died of starvation in the snow.

▪ patients who are dying from cancer

▪ She died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 98.

die for sth

(=be killed while fighting to defend something)

▪ Do you believe in anything enough to die for it?

die young/happy/poor

▪ She died young, at the age of 27.

▪ The bullet went straight through his head, and he died instantly .

to your dying day/until the day you die

(=until you die)

▪ It must remain a secret until the day I die.

sb's dying breath/wish

(=someone's last breath or wish)

▪ It was his dying wish that the house be opened to the public.

die a hero/martyr/rich man etc

▪ My uncle died a hero.

die a natural/violent/agonizing death

▪ Did she die a natural death (=did she die naturally, or did someone kill her?) ?

2.) ¦(DISAPPEAR)¦

to disappear or stop existing

▪ Our love will never die.

▪ The family name will die with him (=disappear when he dies) .

▪ He's one of a dying breed (=a type of person that is no longer common) .

3.) ¦(MACHINES)¦ informal

to stop working

= ↑break down

▪ The engine spluttered and died.

die on sb

(=stop working while they are using it)

▪ The mower just died on me.

4.) be dying for sth/to do sth

spoken to want something very much

▪ I'm dying for a cup of coffee.

▪ She was dying to ask where he'd got it.

▪ I'm dying to see what it is.

5.) be dying of hunger/thirst/boredom

spoken to be very hungry, thirsty, bored etc

▪ Do you fancy a cup of tea? I'm dying of thirst.

6.) I nearly died/I could have died

spoken used to say that you felt very surprised or embarrassed

▪ I nearly died when I saw it was my ex-husband!

7.) I'd rather die

spoken used to say very strongly that you do not want to do something

▪ I'd rather die than work for him!

8.) in the dying minutes/seconds/moments (of sth)

during the last minutes or seconds before the end of something

▪ United scored an equaliser in the dying minutes of the game.

9.) old habits/traditions/customs die hard

used to say that it takes a long time to change to a new way of doing something

10.) never say die

spoken used to encourage someone to continue doing something that is difficult

11.) die a/the death informal

to gradually fail or be forgotten

▪ The rumour gradually died a death.

12.) die laughing

spoken to laugh a lot

▪ We nearly died laughing when he told us.

13.) to die for informal

if something is to die for, it is extremely nice, attractive, or desirable

▪ She had hair to die for.

die away phr v

if sound, wind, or light dies away, it becomes gradually weaker until you cannot hear, feel, or see it

▪ Her voice died away as she saw the look on David's face.

▪ She waited until the footsteps had died away.

die back phr v

if a plant dies back, it dies above the ground but remains alive at its roots

die down phr v

if something dies down, it becomes less strong, active, or violent

▪ Don't worry, the gossip will soon die down.

▪ when the excitement had died down

die off phr v

if a group of people or animals die off, they die one by one until there are no more of them

die out phr v

to disappear or stop existing completely

▪ The wild population of koalas is in danger of dying out.

▪ There will be outbreaks of rain, gradually dying out in the afternoon.

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WORD FOCUS: die

a ceremony for someone who has died: funeral a ceremony at which someone who has died is buried or burned

burial when someone's body is put into the ground

cremation when someone's body is burned

hearse a large car that takes the body to the funeral

coffin a box in which someone is buried or carried to the funeral

grave the place where someone is buried

graveyard/cemetery an area where dead people are buried

undertaker someone who arranges funerals

the mourners the people at a funeral

See also: death, widow, widower, orphan, bereaved, will2 , obituary

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die ²

die² n

1.) a metal block used to press or cut something into a particular shape

2.) a ↑dice

3.) the die is cast

used to say that a decision has been taken and cannot now be changed