dead

Word family  noun dead death deadliness adjective dead deadly deathly verb deaden adverb deadly deathly

 Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English 5++朗文当代英语 5++LDOCE 5++朗文 5++

Related topics: Telephone, telegraph, Astronomy, Sport

dead1 /ded/ ●●● S1 W1 adjective [no comparative]  1  not alive 不活的DEAD no longer alive 死的，去世的 Her mother had been dead for ten years. 她母亲去世十年了。 Police are trying to contact the family of the dead man. 警方在设法与死者的家属联系。 a pile of dead leaves 一堆枯叶 the dead body of a young soldier 一名年轻士兵的尸体 Two men were shot dead by terrorists. 两名男子遭恐怖分子枪杀。 Magnus was found dead in his car. 马格纳斯被人发现死在他自己的车里。 One man is still missing, presumed dead. 仍有一人失踪，被推定已经死亡。 He suddenly had a heart attack and dropped dead. 他突发心脏病猝死。 She was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. 到达医院时她被宣告已经死亡。 His fellow climbers had left him for dead on the mountain. 他的登山伙伴以为他已死，便把他留在山上走了。 We didn’t know if she was dead or alive. 我们不知道她是死是活。 When they found him he was more dead than alive. 他们发现他的时候，他已奄奄一息。 Her parents were long dead. 她父母早就去世了。 ► Do not confuse dead, which is an adjective, with died, which is the past tense and past participle of the verb die: The man was already dead (NOT The man was already died). 不要把形容词 dead 同 die 的过去式和过去分词 died 混淆: The man was already dead ( 不说 The man was already died). 这人已经死了。2  not working 不工作的 [not before noun]TCT not working because there is no power 〔因无电力〕不工作的 I picked up the phone but discovered the line was dead. 我拿起电话听筒，却发现没有声音。 Suddenly the radio went dead. 收音机突然不响了。 I think the batteries are dead. 我想是电池没电了。3  already used 已使用过的，用完了的 already used 已使用过的 a small pile of dead matches 一小堆擦过的火柴dead glass/bottle (=one that someone has finished drinking from in a bar or restaurant) 〔酒吧或饭店里〕倒空的酒杯/酒瓶4  boring 乏味的 [not before noun]BORING a place that is dead is boring because there is nothing interesting or exciting happening there 死气沉沉的，冷冷清清的 This place is dead after nine o'clock. 这地方九点以后就死气沉沉了。5  not active/used 不活跃的/不使用的 not active or being used 不活跃的；不被使用的 The luxury car market has been dead in recent months. 近几个月来豪华汽车市场生意萧条。6  arm/leg etc 手臂/腿等FEEL HOT/COLD/TIRED ETC a part of your body that is dead has no feeling in it, especially because the blood supply to it has been stopped 〔胳膊、腿等身体部位〕失去知觉的，麻木的 When I got up my foot had gone dead where I’d been sitting on it. 我起来的时候，脚上坐着时压到的地方都麻了。7  no emotion 没有感情 [not before noun]FEEL HAPPY/FRIGHTENED/BORED ETC showing no emotion or sympathy 神情冷漠的；漠不关心的 Jennie’s eyes were cold and dead. 珍妮的眼神冷酷而麻木。8  tired 疲劳的 [not before noun] spokenTIRED very tired 十分疲劳的 I can’t go out tonight. I’m absolutely dead! 今晚我不能出去，累死了！ She was dead on her feet and didn’t have the energy to argue (=used when someone keeps going even though they are very tired). 她累极了，没力气争吵。► see thesaurus at tired9  be dead to the world UNCONSCIOUSSLEEPto be very deeply asleep or unconscious 熟睡；失去知觉 Better leave Craig – he’s dead to the world. 最好别打扰克雷格——他睡得正熟。10  used for emphasis 用于强调 [only before noun] completely or exactly – used to emphasize what you are saying 完全的；精准的 We all sat waiting in dead silence (=complete silence). 我们全都十分安静地坐着等待。 The train came to a dead stop (=it stopped completely). 火车完全停下了。 The arrow hit the dead centre of the target (=the exact centre). 这支箭正好射中靶心。 I’ve given the whole thing up as a dead loss (=completely useless or a complete failure). 我认为这件事毫无希望，已经完全放弃了。 John tells me it’s a dead cert, we can’t lose (=something which will certainly happen, win, succeed etc). 约翰告诉我一定能赢，我们不会输。 He fell to the floor in a dead faint (=completely unconscious). 他完全失去了知觉，倒在地板上。11  over my dead body spokenLET1# used to say that you are determined not to allow something to happen 除非我死了，决不〔表示坚决不让某事发生〕 You’ll marry him over my dead body! 我死也不让你和他结婚！12  I wouldn’t be seen/caught dead spokenNEVER used to say that you would never wear particular clothes, go to particular places, or do particular things, because you would feel embarrassed 我决不，我死也不〔指坚决不穿某种衣服、不去某些地方或不做某事，因为觉得难堪〕I wouldn’t be seen/caught dead in/on/with etc I wouldn’t be seen dead in a dress like that! 我死也不会穿那样的连衣裙！13  in serious trouble 有大麻烦了SERIOUS SITUATION informal in serious trouble 遇到严重麻烦if ... I’m dead/you’re dead etc If Mum finds out about this, I’m dead. 如果妈妈发现这件事，我就死定了。 You’re in dead trouble now (=in very serious trouble)! 这下你可有大麻烦了！ One word of this to Sam and you’re dead meat (=you are in serious trouble and someone is very angry with you)! 这事你要是对萨姆说一个字，你就完蛋了！14  be dead and buried UNIMPORTANTan argument, problem, plan etc that is dead and buried is not worth considering again 〔争论、问题、计划等〕不值得再考虑 The old argument about whether the UK should be a member of the EU should now be dead and buried. 以前关于英国是否应该加入欧盟的争论，现在应该已经失去意义了。15. be dead in the water informal if a plan or idea is dead in the water, it is unlikely to continue successfully 〔计划、想法〕成功希望渺茫16. drop dead! spokenLEAVE A PLACE used to rudely and angrily tell someone to go away and leave you alone 滚开！别来烦我！〔用于粗鲁、无礼地叫某人离开，不许来打扰〕17. dead language a dead language, for example Latin or Ancient Greek, is no longer used by ordinary people 死语，死语言〔现在普通人不再使用的语言，如拉丁语或古希腊语〕 → living language at living1(1)18  the dead hand of something something which stops or slows your progress, especially a strong influence 妨碍；拖后腿的东西 the dead hand of local government bureaucracy 当地政府官僚作风的桎梏19. planet 行星HA a dead planet has no life on it 〔行星上〕无生命的，无生物的20. in sport 体育运动DS when the ball is dead in some games, it is no longer on the playing area 〔球〕出界的，界外的 → (as) dead as a dodo at dodo(3), → dead ringer —deadness noun [uncountable]n COLLOCATIONSverbslie deadIf I’m late, Mum worries that I’m lying dead somewhere.drop dead (=die suddenly)He dropped dead at the age of 52.find somebody deadA man was found dead in the apartment.shoot somebody deadHe was jailed for life for shooting dead a burglar.leave somebody dead (=result in someone dying – used especially in news reports)The shooting left at least 28 people dead.leave somebody for dead (=leave someone to die)The men beat him and ran away, leaving him for dead.pronounce somebody dead (=to say officially that someone is dead)She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.be feared dead (=used when someone is missing and people are worried that they are dead)Hundreds of people are feared dead in a ferry disaster.be presumed dead (=used when someone is missing and people think they are certainly dead)The two boys have not been seen since they fell into the river, and are now presumed dead.adverbsclinically dead (=dead based on medical checks)A person is declared clinically dead when the brain stops working.nounsa dead bodyA dead body has been found in the woods.phraseslong dead (=dead for a long time)All those people I knew then are long dead now.dead and gone informal (=completely dead)Let’s face it, we’ll all be dead and gone soon.more dead than alive (=very badly hurt or ill and almost dead)He was swept up onto a beach after three days at sea, more dead than alive.n THESAURUSdead no longer alivethe bodies of three dead soldiersIs her father dead?lifeless literary dead or seeming to be deadtheir lifeless bodieslate [only before noun] formal dead – use this as a polite way of talking about someone who has died, especially recentlyMrs Lombard’s late husbanda gold Cartier bracelet that once belonged to the late American artist Andy Warhol deceased formal deadHer parents, now deceased, disapproved of her marriage.her deceased husbandThey were friends of the deceased (=the person who died).departed [only before noun] dead – used in order to be polite and avoid saying the word ‘dead’They paid their respects to their departed uncle.his dear departed wifegone [not before noun] informal dead – used especially when someone was alive not long before‘Is she gone?’ ‘I’m afraid so.’

Examples from the Corpus

dead• She's no longer breathing - I think she's dead.• She asked, then, if this meant her book was dead.• In summer we get a few visitors, but most of the time this place is dead.• Is the battery dead?• Following the shoot-out six people were dead and three were wounded.• They shot it dead and took the corpse to a government building in Edmonton.• For Dorian, this was more terrible than the dead body in the room.• Following her hanging, a horse and cart set out from the Grassmarket carrying what was presumed to be her dead body.• So I got that net out of there myself and found a lot of dead fish, but at least no mammals.• Her mother has been dead for ten years.• Then there was the business of the dead girl, Melanie something.• It's absolutely dead here when all the students go away for the summer vacation.• It was autumn, and the path was covered in dead leaves.• The dead man's wife was questioned by police.• a dead moon of Jupiter• One of the gunshot victims was pronounced dead on arrival at City Hospital.• the Dead Sea• These flowers look dead - shall I throw them away?• a dead tree• It had been going on since 1963 and was continued despite the fact that dead trees proved to be very effective cover.• The bar is usually dead until around 10:00.• The doctor told him that unless he stopped drinking he would be dead within a year.dead body• Following her hanging, a horse and cart set out from the Grassmarket carrying what was presumed to be her dead body.• My goodness no - over your dead body.• One time Wojnarowicz was making a movie that called for dead bodies.• Christopher's dead body is in the next room.• Over my dead body, thought the rector, who loved the diminutive stone building that the parish had erected in 1879.• In a medical autopsy, doctors dismember a dead body to investigate its parts.• My sister's dead body was carried slowly out of the house and through the village, followed by all of us.• Her dead body wears the smile of accomplishment.line ... dead• Authorities were talking to him by telephone shortly before noon on Friday when they heard a gunshot and the line went dead.• But the line had gone dead.• She was waiting for him to admit as much when the line went dead.• The dead had become offensive and the living were suffering fearful agonies.• The voice then repeated the message, and afterwards the line went dead.• There was silence and then a click and the line went dead.• He lined up the dead centre of the target and scored with a long, spiralling burst.• Then he clicked the line dead with his finger and dialled the president's bedside number.dead matches• The visitors regained some pride when the Mazunov brothers won the two dead matches.gone dead• I'd been sitting on my heels for so long my legs had gone dead.• But the line had gone dead.• He had long since gone dead on politicians.dead on ... feet• They are dead on their feet.• She revealed that she was dead on her feet in the last 100m and feared she had blown it.dead silence• But the question was met by dead silence.• Then there was a dead silence.• There was only the sound of their own firing, then a dead silence.• A dead silence greeted this unusual flow of words from Mr van der Luyden.• In dead silence Harley surveyed his putt and Jefferson took up his usual position beside the pin.• The dead silence made contact impossible.• The dead silence was broken only by a regular drip, drip, drip.dead meat• If anything happens to the car, you're dead!• Hardly surprising really considering it feels not dissimilar from a hunk of exceedingly dead meat!• Look after yourself, and particularly your voice and your memory, for without these you are dead meat.• One word to the Wee Green P, old son, and you're dead meat.• They also facilitated the movement of perishable dead meat quite long distances.dead2 adverb informal  1  COMPLETELYcompletely 完全地dead right/wrong ‘It’s a crazy idea.’ ‘You’re dead right!’ “这主意很愚蠢。” “你说得完全对！”dead straight/flat The road was dead straight. 这条路是笔直的。dead quiet/calm/still Everything suddenly went dead still. 一切突然变得死一般寂静。be dead (set) against something (=completely disagree with something) 坚决反对某事 Her family were dead against the marriage. 她的家人坚决反对这桩婚事。 He was obviously dead drunk. 他显然醉得不行了。 When he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks (=suddenly stopped moving completely). 他一看见她就呆若木鸡了。2  VERYvery 非常，十分 He was dead good-looking. 他长得极为英俊。 It sounded dead boring. 这事听起来很无聊。dead beat/tired (=very tired) 筋疲力尽的3  [+adj/adverb]EXACT directly or exactly 直接地；准确地 I stared dead ahead at the doorway. 我直直地盯着门道看。 The bus arrived dead on time. 公共汽车正点到达。n COLLOCATIONSadjectivesdead right/wrongYou’re dead wrong, so let me handle this.dead straight/flatThe countryside around here is dead flat all the way to the sea.dead quiet/calm/stillThe room was dead quiet while we waited for Ted to reply.dead drunkHe came home dead drunk in the middle of the night.phrasesbe dead (set) against something (=completely disapprove of or disagree with something)I’d like to be an actress but Mum and Dad are dead set against it.be dead set on something (=be determined to do something)At the moment, Steve’s just dead set on winning the gold medal.stop dead (in your tracks) (=suddenly stop moving completely)She was so shocked that she stopped dead in her tracks.

Examples from the Corpus

dead• It stopped me dead in my tracks.• It was as big as a settee but it was dead quiet.• Stef, Hugo pointed out, was dead set against junk food.• The women in prison who had kids were always dead upset.dead right/wrong• And you're always dead wrong.• Cold chills ran down my right leg, which is the surest way I have of knowing when something is dead right.• Declared not only dead, but dead wrong?• No, you're dead right.• Statements like these are dead wrong.• The only risk Dole takes, of course, is that he could be dead wrong.• Mum was dead right apparently, the house on Bradshaw Drive was full of treasures.• But he was dead wrong in predicting that such harmonious relations would ever be.dead beat/tired• Nor was there ever a moment when he was not dead tired.• She was often dead tired and must have fallen asleep many times at her task.• He admitted he was dead tired and therefore must return home.• She was dead tired, but she couldn't fall asleep.dead ahead• You can't miss it - it's dead ahead.• But as the haze cleared, Anson sighted land right away, dead ahead.• He let go the clutch, lifted the front wheel and drove at the far bank, sand-spit dead ahead.• The crew now wanted to abandon ship, and a few minutes later red flares were seen dead ahead.• The forked road which every star, perhaps every person, faces at least once in a lifetime lay dead ahead.• You know, but uh, he was like, Burton Woods, dead ahead.• But it was there all right, dead ahead - a bar, knife-sharp and deadly.• They were Spitfires, dead ahead and so close it was impossible, coming directly at him.• His father was facing dead ahead, as if still in open water out of sight of land.dead3 noun  1  the dead [plural] people who have died 死者，死人 Families on both sides buried their dead. 双方家人埋葬了死者。the dead and injured/wounded/dying Most of the dead and injured had been passengers on the bus. 大部分死伤者都是公共汽车上的乘客。2  the dead of night/winter DURINGthe middle of the night or the middle of the winter 深夜/隆冬 creeping around in the dead of night 在夜深人静时悄悄而行3  rise/come back/return from the dead to become alive again after dying 死而复生 Christ rose from the dead. 耶稣基督死后复活。

Examples from the Corpus

dead• Makes the rotten dead sit right up.• Among the dead were two of the train drivers.• My house feels solid and safe and orderly; hyacinths and narcissus bloom indoors here even in the dead of winter.• A light came wobbling up the Banbury Road, Oxford, in the dead of night.• It was to keep the dead where they belong, in their grave.• Men on board pulled the wounded and the mangled bodies of the dead from beneath collapsed debris.• The dead were covered by low mounds encircled with stones.From Longman Business Dictionarydeaddead /ded/ adjective1if the economy or an industry is dead, it is not growing or successfulThe plan is to lower interest rates in order to breathe life back into the dead economy.The domestic gold industry is dead.2no longer important, being used, or popularTakeover investing isn’t dead, despite all the new state anti-takeover laws.Origin dead1 Old English

dead1 adjective →10-20
→n COLLOCATIONS1 →n THESAURUS1dead2 adverb →n COLLOCATIONS1dead3 nounLDOCE OnlineChinese  

longer no Corpus Business alive

dead

I

dead¹ S1 W1 /ded/ adjective [no comparative]1.  NOT ALIVE no longer alive:
    Her mother had been dead for ten years.
    Police are trying to contact the family of the dead man.
    a pile of dead leaves
    the dead body of a young soldier
    Two men were shot dead by terrorists.
    Magnus was found dead in his car.
    One man is still missing, presumed dead.
    He suddenly had a heart attack and dropped dead.
    She was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
    His fellow climbers had left him for dead on the mountain.
    We didn’t know if she was dead or alive.
    When they found him he was more dead than alive.
    Her parents were long dead.
  ► Do not confuse dead, which is an adjective, with died, which is the past tense and past participle of the verb die: The man was already dead (NOT The man was already died).
2.  NOT WORKING  [not before noun] not working because there is no power:
    I picked up the phone but discovered the line was dead.
    Suddenly the radio went dead.
    I think the batteries are dead.
3.  ALREADY USED already used:
    a small pile of dead matches
    dead glass/bottle (=one that someone has finished drinking from in a bar or restaurant)
4.  BORING  [not before noun] a place that is dead is boring because there is nothing interesting or exciting happening there:
    This place is dead after nine o'clock.
5.  NOT ACTIVE/USED not active or being used:
    The luxury car market has been dead in recent months.
6.  ARM/LEG ETC a part of your body that is dead has no feeling in it, especially because the blood supply to it has been stopped:
    When I got up my foot had gone dead where I’d been sitting on it.
7.  NO EMOTION  [not before noun] showing no emotion or sympathy:
    Jennie’s eyes were cold and dead.
8.  TIRED  [not before noun] spoken very tired:
    I can’t go out tonight. I’m absolutely dead__
    She was dead on her feet and didn’t have the energy to argue (=used when someone keeps going even though they are very tired).
9. be dead to the world to be very deeply asleep or unconscious:
    Better leave Craig – he’s dead to the world.
10.  USED FOR EMPHASIS  [only before noun] completely or exactly – used to emphasize what you are saying:
    We all sat waiting in dead silence (=complete silence).
    The train came to a dead stop (=it stopped completely).
    The arrow hit the dead centre of the target (=the exact centre).
    I’ve given the whole thing up as a dead loss (=completely useless or a complete failure).
    John tells me it’s a dead cert, we can’t lose (=something which will certainly happen, win, succeed etc).
    He fell to the floor in a dead faint (=completely unconscious).
11. over my dead body spoken used to say that you are determined not to allow something to happen:
    You’ll marry him over my dead body__
12. I wouldn’t be seen/caught dead spoken used to say that you would never wear particular clothes, go to particular places, or do particular things, because you would feel embarrassed
    I wouldn’t be seen/caught dead in/on/with etc
    I wouldn’t be seen dead in a dress like that__
13.  IN SERIOUS TROUBLE informal in serious trouble
    if ... I’m dead/you’re dead etc
    If Mum finds out about this, I’m dead.
    You’re in dead trouble now (=in very serious trouble)__
    One word of this to Sam and you’re dead meat (=you are in serious trouble and someone is very angry with you)__
14. be dead and buried an argument, problem, plan etc that is dead and buried is not worth considering again:
    The old argument about whether the UK should be a member of the EU should now be dead and buried.
15. be dead in the water informal if a plan or idea is dead in the water, it is unlikely to continue successfully
16. drop dead__ spoken used to rudely and angrily tell someone to go away and leave you alone
17. dead language a dead language, for example Latin or Ancient Greek, is no longer used by ordinary people ⇨ living language at living¹(1)
18. the dead hand of something something which stops or slows your progress, especially a strong influence:
    the dead hand of local government bureaucracy
19.  PLANET a dead planet has no life on it
20.  IN SPORT when the ball is dead in some games, it is no longer on the playing area
⇨ (as) dead as a dodo at dodo(3), ⇨ dead ringer
—deadness noun [uncountable]
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ verbs
   ▪ lie dead If I’m late, Mum worries that I’m lying dead somewhere.
   ▪ drop dead (=die suddenly) He dropped dead at the age of 52.
   ▪ find somebody dead A man was found dead in the apartment.
   ▪ shoot somebody dead He was jailed for life for shooting dead a burglar.
   ▪ leave somebody dead (=result in someone dying – used especially in news reports) The shooting left at least 28 people dead.
   ▪ leave somebody for dead (=leave someone to die) The men beat him and ran away, leaving him for dead.
   ▪ pronounce somebody dead (=to say officially that someone is dead) She was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.
   ▪ be feared dead (=used when someone is missing and people are worried that they are dead) Hundreds of people are feared dead in a ferry disaster.
   ▪ be presumed dead (=used when someone is missing and people think they are certainly dead) The two boys have not been seen since they fell into the river, and are now presumed dead.
■ adverbs
   ▪ clinically dead (=dead based on medical checks) A person is declared clinically dead when the brain stops working.
■ nouns
   ▪ a dead body A dead body has been found in the woods.
■ phrases
   ▪ long dead (=dead for a long time) All those people I knew then are long dead now.
   ▪ dead and gone informal (=completely dead) Let’s face it, we’ll all be dead and gone soon.
   ▪ more dead than alive (=very badly hurt or ill and almost dead) He was swept up onto a beach after three days at sea, more dead than alive.
     

THESAURUS

   ▪ dead no longer alive: the bodies of three dead soldiers | Is her father dead?
   ▪ lifeless literary dead or seeming to be dead: their lifeless bodies
   ▪ late [only before noun] formal dead – use this as a polite way of talking about someone who has died, especially recently: Mrs Lombard’s late husband | a gold Cartier bracelet that once belonged to the late American artist Andy Warhol
   ▪ deceased formal dead: Her parents, now deceased, disapproved of her marriage. | her deceased husband | They were friends of the deceased (=the person who died).
   ▪ departed [only before noun] dead – used in order to be polite and avoid saying the word ‘dead’: They paid their respects to their departed uncle. | his dear departed wife
   ▪ gone [not before noun] informal dead – used especially when someone was alive not long before: ‘Is she gone?’ ‘I’m afraid so.’

II

dead² S3 adverb informal
1. completely
    dead right/wrong
    ‘It’s a crazy idea.’ ‘You’re dead right__’
    dead straight/flat
    The road was dead straight.
    dead quiet/calm/still
    Everything suddenly went dead still.
    be dead (set) against something (=completely disagree with something)
    Her family were dead against the marriage.
    He was obviously dead drunk.
    When he saw her, he stopped dead in his tracks (=suddenly stopped moving completely).
2. very:
    He was dead good-looking.
    It sounded dead boring.
    dead beat/tired (=very tired)
3. [+ adjective/adverb] directly or exactly:
    I stared dead ahead at the doorway.
    The bus arrived dead on time.
     

COLLOCATIONS

■ adjectives
   ▪ dead right/wrong You’re dead wrong, so let me handle this.
   ▪ dead straight/flat The countryside around here is dead flat all the way to the sea.
   ▪ dead quiet/calm/still The room was dead quiet while we waited for Ted to reply.
   ▪ dead drunk He came home dead drunk in the middle of the night.
■ phrases
   ▪ be dead (set) against something (=completely disapprove of or disagree with something) I’d like to be an actress but Mum and Dad are dead set against it.
   ▪ be dead set on something (=be determined to do something) At the moment, Steve’s just dead set on winning the gold medal.
   ▪ stop dead (in your tracks) (=suddenly stop moving completely) She was so shocked that she stopped dead in her tracks.

III

dead³ noun1. the dead [plural] people who have died:
    Families on both sides buried their dead.
    the dead and injured/wounded/dying
    Most of the dead and injured had been passengers on the bus.
2. the dead of night/winter the middle of the night or the middle of the winter:
    creeping around in the dead of night
3. rise/come back/return from the dead to become alive again after dying:
    Christ rose from the dead.