the dead
noun
: the state of being dead
—usually used in the phrases rise from the dead or come back from the dead or return from the dead to mean to become alive again after dying
For a moment, I thought that my grandfather had come back from the dead.
They believe that Jesus Christ rose from the dead.
Examples of the dead in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
An armed intruder stood on Guthrie’s doorstep in the dead of night, wearing a balaclava, a bulky backpack, and what appeared to be black neoprene gloves.
—
Paige Williams, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
But by night this was the land of the dead.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Police initially had said there were six victims at the school but corrected that to five on Wednesday, saying a woman airlifted to the hospital in critical condition was mistakenly counted as being among the dead.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 12 Feb. 2026
Groft was accused of cutting down 12 trees, as well as sawing the limb off a 13th, across a seven-day period beginning April 13 — sometimes in broad daylight, other times in the dead of night.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the dead
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Paige Williams, New Yorker, 14 Feb. 2026
But by night this was the land of the dead.
—Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
Police initially had said there were six victims at the school but corrected that to five on Wednesday, saying a woman airlifted to the hospital in critical condition was mistakenly counted as being among the dead.
—Amanda Lee Myers, USA Today, 12 Feb. 2026
Groft was accused of cutting down 12 trees, as well as sawing the limb off a 13th, across a seven-day period beginning April 13 — sometimes in broad daylight, other times in the dead of night.
—Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 12 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for the dead
Cite this Entry
“The dead.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20dead. Accessed 14 Feb. 2026.
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