noun

demise

dih-MYZE/dɪˈmaɪz/

The final end of someone or something.

Rising costs and falling sales bring about the store's demise.

Closed abandoned small shop, boarded windows, faded empty sign, weeds at the doorstep, conveying the end of a business.

Etymology

The pieces mean 'put away,' but the noun first referred to transferring property, then sovereignty. Because a ruler's death could occasion that transfer, demise came to mean death and, more broadly, an end or failure.

In context

HelluvaChic9:10

forcefully shoved him into a chair which in turn broke his hip and led to his demise

FL Housekeeper Fatally Beaten By Guest

More examples

The king's sudden demise leaves the country without a ruler.
One failed experiment does not spell the demise of the project.
The old factory faced a slow demise as orders dried up.

Forms

demise · demises

Similar words

death: More directly names the end of a person's life.
end: Also covers ordinary conclusions, without suggesting death or failure.
downfall: Emphasizes loss of power or success, not necessarily total destruction.