- [plural] people who have died
- The dead and wounded in that one attack amounted to 6 000.
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- [singular] the state of being dead
- Christians believe that God raised Jesus from the dead.
- (figurative) In nine years he has brought his party back from the dead almost to the brink of power.
More Like This Plural adjectival nounsPlural adjectival nouns
Word OriginOld English dēad, of Germanic origin: related to Dutch dood and German tot, also to die.
Idioms
See dead in the Oxford Advanced American DictionarySee dead in the Oxford Learner's Dictionary of Academic Englishin the dead of night
(British English also at dead of night)
- in the quietest part of the night
- I crept out of bed in the dead of night and sneaked downstairs.
in the dead of winter
- in the coldest part of winter
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dead