die (dies plural & 3rd person present) (dying present participle) (died past tense & past participle )
1 verb When people, animals, and plants die, they stop living.
no passive
A year later my dog died... V
Sadly, both he and my mother died of cancer... V of/from n
I would die a very happy person if I could stay in music my whole life... V n
...friends who died young. V adj
2 verb If a person, animal, or plant is dying, they are so ill or so badly injured that they will not live very much longer.
only cont (Antonym: recover)
The elm trees are all dying... V
Every working day I treat people who are dying from lung diseases caused by smoking. V of/from n
3 verb If someone dies a violent, unnatural, or painful death, they die in a violent, unnatural, or painful way.
no passive
He watched helplessly as his mother died an agonizing death... V n
4 verb If a machine or device dies, it stops completely, especially after a period of working more and more slowly or inefficiently.
WRITTEN Then suddenly, the engine coughed, spluttered and died. V
5 verb You can say that you are dying of thirst, hunger, boredom, or curiosity to emphasize that you are very thirsty, hungry, bored, or curious.
INFORMAL only cont (emphasis)
Order me a pot of tea, I'm dying of thirst. V of n
6 verb You can say that you are dying for something or are dyingto do something to emphasize that you very much want to have it or do it.
INFORMAL only cont (emphasis)
I'm dying for a breath of fresh air... V for n
She was dying to talk to Frank. V to-inf
7 verb You can use die in expressions such as `I almost died' or `I'd die if anything happened' where you are emphasizing your feelings about a situation, for example to say that it is very shocking, upsetting, embarrassing, or amusing.
INFORMAL, mainly SPOKEN, emphasis I nearly died when I learned where I was ending up... V
I nearly died of shame... V of n
I thought I'd die laughing. V -ing
8 n-count A die is a specially shaped or patterned block of metal which is used to press or cut other metal into a particular shape.
10 You can say that the die is cast to draw attention to the importance of an event or decision which is going to affect your future and which cannot be changed or avoided.
the die is cast phrase V inflects
11 If you say that habits or attitudes die hard, you mean that they take a very long time to disappear or change, so that it may not be possible to get rid of them completely.
die hard phrase V inflects
Old habits die hard... die away phrasal verb If a sound dies away, it gradually becomes weaker or fainter and finally disappears completely.
(=fade away)
The firing finally began to die away in the late afternoon... V P die down phrasal verb If something dies down, it becomes very much quieter or less intense.
The controversy is unlikely to die down. V P die out
1 phrasal verb If something dies out, it becomes less and less common and eventually disappears completely.
We used to believe that capitalism would soon die out. V P
2 phrasal verb If something such as a fire or wind dies out, it gradually stops burning or blowing.
(AM)
Once the fire has died out, the salvage team will move in. V P
