What does “dead” mean?
- 1
adjectiveno longer alive
We found a dead bird in the garden.
- 2
adjectivenot working, especially because there is no power
My phone battery is dead.
Dead at a glance
- Part of speech
- adjective
- CEFR level
- A2 (elementary)
- Pronunciation
- /dɛd/ · DED
How to use “dead” correctly
“Dead” is the adjective, “die” the verb, “death” the noun: “He died in 1990. He has been dead for years.”
Common phrases with “dead”
- dead end
- dead battery
- the dead
Synonyms, opposites and related words
Antonyms (opposite meaning)
- alive
- living
Idioms with “dead”
- Wouldn't be caught dead: Would never do, wear or be seen somewhere because you find it embarrassing or unpleasant.
- Flog a dead horse: To waste effort on something that has no chance of success.
“dead” is on these word lists
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- death nounA2the end of someone’s life
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