dying

[ dahy-ing ]

/ ˈdaɪ ɪŋ /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR dying ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

ceasing to live; approaching death; expiring: a dying man.

of, relating to, or associated with death: his dying hour.

given, uttered, or manifested just before death: her dying words.

drawing to a close; ending: the dying year.

noun

the act or process of ceasing to live, ending, or drawing to a close.

Origin of dying

1250–1300; Middle English. See die¹, -ing², -ing¹

OTHER WORDS FROM dying

half-dy·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH dying

dyeing dying

Words nearby dying

dyerma, dyersburg, dyestuff, dyewood, dyfed, dying, dyke, dykon, dylan, dylan, bob, dymaxion

Definition for dying (2 of 3)

die ¹

[ dahy ]

/ daɪ /

verb (used without object), died, dy·ing.

to cease to live; undergo the complete and permanent cessation of all vital functions; become dead.

(of something inanimate) to cease to exist: The laughter died on his lips.

to lose force, strength, or active qualities: Superstitions die slowly.

to cease to function; stop: The motor died.

to be no longer subject; become indifferent: to die to worldly matters.

to pass gradually; fade or subside gradually (usually followed by away, out, or down): The storm slowly died down.

Theology. to lose spiritual life.

to faint or languish.

to suffer as if fatally: I'm dying of boredom!

to pine with desire, love, longing, etc.: I'm dying to see my home again.

to desire or want keenly or greatly: I'm dying for a cup of coffee.

Verb Phrases

die away, (of a sound) to become weaker or fainter and then cease: The hoofbeats gradually died away.

die down, to become calm or quiet; subside.

die off, to die one after another until the number is greatly reduced: Her friends are dying off.

die out,

to cease to exist; become extinct: Both lines of the family died out before the turn of the century.
to die away; fade; subside: The roar of the engines died out as the rocket vanished into the clouds.

Origin of die

1150–1200; Middle English dien, deien < Old Norse deyja. Cf. dead, death

SYNONYMS FOR die

1 expire, depart.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR die ON THESAURUS.COM

synonym study for die

1. Die, pass away ( pass on; pass ), perish mean to relinquish life. To die is to become dead from any cause and in any circumstances. It is the simplest, plainest, and most direct word for this idea, and is used figuratively of anything that has once displayed activity: An echo, flame, storm, rumor dies. Pass away (or pass on or pass ) is a commonly used euphemism implying a continuation of life after death: Grandfather passed away ( passed on or passed ). Perish, a more literary term, implies death under harsh circumstances such as hunger, cold, neglect, etc.; figuratively, perish connotes utter extinction: Hardship caused many pioneers to perish. Ancient Egyptian civilization has perished.

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH die

die dye

Definition for dying (3 of 3)

die ²

[ dahy ]

/ daɪ /

noun, plural dies for 1, 2, 4, dice for 3.

Machinery.

any of various devices for cutting or forming material in a press or a stamping or forging machine.
a hollow device of steel, often composed of several pieces to be fitted into a stock, for cutting the threads of bolts or the like.
one of the separate pieces of such a device.
a steel block or plate with small conical holes through which wire, plastic rods, etc., are drawn.

an engraved stamp for impressing a design upon some softer material, as in coining money.

singular of dice.

Architecture. dado(def 1).

verb (used with object), died, die·ing.

to impress, shape, or cut with a die.

Origin of die

1300–50; Middle English de (in early Modern English taking the vowel of the plural form dice) < Old French de(i), presumbly < Latin datum given (neuter past participle of dare to give), perhaps in the derivative sense “put, placed,” hence “played, cast”

Example sentences from the Web for dying

I am fortunate that I have never been deathly ill, but whenever I have the stomach flu, I most certainly feel like I am dying.

Why My Norovirus Panic Makes Me Sick |Lizzie Crocker |January 5, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Gillingham tells Mary that he wants to make their lives simpler, but it sounds a little like the dying of the light.

What Downton’s Fashion Really Means |Katie Baker |January 2, 2015 |DAILY BEAST
Mills was lying on the sidewalk, dying, right in front of people trained to save him.

Red Tape Is Strangling Good Samaritans |Philip K. Howard |December 27, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
“In a country that once fed the world, children were dying of malnourishment,” writes Ivereigh.

How Pope Francis Became the World’s BFF |Jason Berry |December 21, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

Her son peeked out the window and told me his mother had left Havana for La Lisa to visit a dying relative.

The Life and Hard Times Of The Family A Cuban Defector Left Behind |Brin-Jonathan Butler |December 19, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
You know, papa, he is dying, and this letter is a message of death.

Jane Sinclair; Or, The Fawn Of Springvale |William Carleton
It was late at night when Elder Kinney went home from the bedside of the dying woman.

Saxe Holm's Stories |Helen Hunt Jackson
What the dead man had told our friends about the herd of horses with his dying breath was true.

In the Depths of the Dark Continent |Cornelius Shea
In such a case, if one of us should be wounded, he would keep his lips closed, even if he were dying.

Frank Merriwell's Return to Yale |Burt L. Standish
If a dying person struggled hard and long, it was believed that the spirit was kept from departing by some magic spell.

Folk Lore |James Napier

British Dictionary definitions for dying (1 of 3)

dying

/ (ˈdaɪɪŋ) /

verb

the present participle of die 1

adjective

relating to or occurring at the moment of death a dying wish

British Dictionary definitions for dying (2 of 3)

die ¹

/ (daɪ) /

verb dies, dying or died (mainly intr)

(of an organism or its cells, organs, etc) to cease all biological activity permanently she died of pneumonia

(of something inanimate) to cease to exist; come to an end the memory of her will never die

(often foll by away, down, or out) to lose strength, power, or energy, esp by degrees

(often foll by away or down) to become calm or quiet; subside the noise slowly died down

to stop functioning the engine died

to languish or pine, as with love, longing, etc

(usually foll by of) informal to be nearly overcome (with laughter, boredom, etc)

theol to lack spiritual life within the soul, thus separating it from God and leading to eternal punishment

(tr) to undergo or suffer (a death of a specified kind) (esp in phrases such as die a saintly death)

(foll by to) to become indifferent or apathetic (to) to die to the world

never say die informal never give up

die hard to cease to exist after resistance or a struggle old habits die hard

die in harness to die while still working or active, prior to retirement

be dying (foll by for or an infinitive) to be eager or desperate (for something or to do something) I'm dying to see the new house

to die for informal highly desirable a salary to die for

Word Origin for die

Old English dīegan, probably of Scandinavian origin; compare Old Norse deyja, Old High German touwen

usage for die

It was formerly considered incorrect to use the preposition from after die, but of and from are now both acceptable: he died of/from his injuries

British Dictionary definitions for dying (3 of 3)

die ²

/ (daɪ) /

noun

a shaped block of metal or other hard material used to cut or form metal in a drop forge, press, or similar device
a tool of metal, silicon carbide, or other hard material with a conical hole through which wires, rods, or tubes are drawn to reduce their diameter

an internally-threaded tool for cutting external threads Compare tap 2 (def. 6)

a casting mould giving accurate dimensions and a good surface to the object cast See also die-cast

architect the dado of a pedestal, usually cubic

another name for dice (def. 2)

as straight as a die perfectly honest

the die is cast the decision that commits a person irrevocably to an action has been taken

Word Origin for die

C13 dee, from Old French de, perhaps from Vulgar Latin datum (unattested) a piece in games, noun use of past participle of Latin dare to play

Medical definitions for dying

die

[ dī ]

v.

To cease living; become dead; expire.

To cease existing, especially by degrees; fade.

Idioms and Phrases with dying (1 of 2)

dying

see under die.

Idioms and Phrases with dying (2 of 2)

die

In addition to the idioms beginning with die

die away
die down
die for
die hard
die in harness
die is cast, the
die laughing
die off
die out
die to
die with one's boots on

also see:

curl up (and die)
do or die
it's to die
never say die

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

dying

adjective

noun

Origin of dying

OTHER WORDS FROM dying

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH dying

Words nearby dying

Definition for dying (2 of 3)

verb (used without object), died, dy·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of die

SYNONYMS FOR die

synonym study for die

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH die

Definition for dying (3 of 3)

noun, plural dies for 1, 2, 4, dice for 3.

verb (used with object), died, die·ing.

Origin of die

Example sentences from the Web for dying

British Dictionary definitions for dying (1 of 3)

verb

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for dying (2 of 3)

verb dies, dying or died (mainly intr)

Word Origin for die

usage for die

British Dictionary definitions for dying (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for die

Medical definitions for dying

v.

Idioms and Phrases with dying (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with dying (2 of 2)

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

dying

adjective

noun

Origin of dying

OTHER WORDS FROM dying

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH dying

Words nearby dying

Definition for dying (2 of 3)

verb (used without object), died, dy·ing.

Verb Phrases

Origin of die

SYNONYMS FOR die

synonym study for die

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH die

Definition for dying (3 of 3)

noun, plural dies for 1, 2, 4, dice for 3.

verb (used with object), died, die·ing.

Origin of die

Words related to dying

Example sentences from the Web for dying

British Dictionary definitions for dying (1 of 3)

verb

adjective

British Dictionary definitions for dying (2 of 3)

verb dies, dying or died (mainly intr)

Word Origin for die

usage for die

British Dictionary definitions for dying (3 of 3)

noun

Word Origin for die

Medical definitions for dying

v.

Idioms and Phrases with dying (1 of 2)

Idioms and Phrases with dying (2 of 2)