death

Definition of deathnext
1
2
as in mortality
the state of being dead death is one of the few constants in the universe

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

3
4
as in downfall
something that is the cause of one's ultimate failure or loss of life that muscle car will be the death of him yet

Synonyms & Similar Words

5

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of death Mateo and fellow Miami-Dade Police Officers Rodolfo Mirabal, Richard Santiesteban and Leslie Lee were charged with manslaughter in Ordoñez’s death. Rafael Olmeda, Sun Sentinel, 11 Feb. 2026 Polk, 27, has been charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 19-year-old Dan’Vonte Tarver on the streets of Miami Beach during the busy spring break period three years ago. David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 11 Feb. 2026 Brittany and Devonta The final couple is Brittany and Devonta, who dealt with a death in the family during the pods. Sydney Bucksbaum, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Feb. 2026 His longtime friend Dorian Hannaway reported his death. Pat Saperstein, Variety, 11 Feb. 2026 See All Example Sentences for death
Recent Examples of Synonyms for death
Noun
  • McDonald died of a heart attack in 2017, with the city’s medical examiner ruling his death a homicide, stating his demise was caused by complications from the 1986 shooting.
    Barry Williams, New York Daily News, 10 Feb. 2026
  • In a league where everyone is constantly predicting the demise of the running back position, Walker is proof that the old ways still work.
    Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Last year was almost certainly the first year of the 21st century that preventable child mortality went up rather than down.
    Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 6 Feb. 2026
  • What motivates you to get out of bed each day—moves you forward—without the inevitability of your mortality?
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Intertextuality is described by Scarlett Barton in perhaps the opposite way, as linked to Roland Barthes’ observation that the author is dead, and that the text is the dissolution of every kind of voice, every beginning and core.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 13 Feb. 2026
  • In 2023, the Move Forward Party campaigned on curbing royal powers, though efforts to reform Thailand’s draconian royal defamation law, known as lèse-majesté or Article 112, were deemed unconstitutional and led to the party’s dissolution by the Constitutional Court.
    Charlie Campbell, Time, 9 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • But Hadder says the department’s downfall essentially hinged on Sawyer’s order.
    Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 7 Feb. 2026
  • And then came the third quarter, the Heat’s period of downfall this season, with Boston finding its 3-point game and leaving it tied 74-74 going into the fourth — a 36-15 scoring edge in the period.
    Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 7 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • The teenager’s accounts were littered with references to white supremacy, antisemitism and violence, with a particular focus on past mass shootings, including the 1999 massacre at Columbine High School.
    Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2026
  • The regime is resorting to massacres to suppress the unrest.
    Shahrnush Parsipur, Time, 3 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • For stars, there are three main fates that a star can have, all of which are heavily dependent on their mass at birth.
    Big Think, Big Think, 11 Feb. 2026
  • Point Loma Nazarene University men’s and women’s teams are in Hawaii for three games this week that could decide their PacWest Conference fates.
    Bill Center, San Diego Union-Tribune, 10 Feb. 2026
Noun
  • Three tourists in New Orleans were wounded in a shooting that left a 19-year-old dead when the man ducked into a famed Creole restaurant in a bid to escape the gunfire, authorities said Monday.
    Stephen Sorace, FOXNews.com, 19 Jan. 2026
  • But fear of the difficult dead neither originated in nor has been confined to the nineteenth-century European re-imaginings of Vlad the Impaler.
    Rivka Galchen, New Yorker, 7 Jan. 2026
Noun
  • The agency said the suspension period is intended to precede final termination decisions as the proceedings move forward.
    Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 11 Feb. 2026
  • One of his attorneys, Bill Brewer, said the company pointed to a restructuring as the reason for the termination.
    Emily Brindley, Dallas Morning News, 11 Feb. 2026

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Death.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/death. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.

More from Merriam-Webster on death

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!