DictionarydieEnd of life
verb

die

DYE/daɪ/

To lose life or cease functioning.

The small green plant withers, turns brown, and dies.

A small green plant withers into a fully dry brown plant in two compact stages, showing cessation of life; no reversible wilt represented as definite death.
Etymology

Middle English dien referred to ceasing to live. Its broader sense, “come to an end,” connects literal death with the stopping of something that functions rather than lives.

In context

CBS Evening News2:59
contrary to what you want to do the ultimate love that you can give somebody is to respect their wish to live the way they want to live and to Die the way they want to die
A woman with ALS shares her last day after choosing "Medical Aid in Dying"

More examples

  • My phone dies before I can finish the call.
  • The applause slowly dies away as the speaker returns.
  • I'm dying for a cold glass of water.

Forms

die · dies · died · dying

death noun — The end of a living organism's life.

dead adjective — No longer alive or functioning.

Similar words

perish
Usually refers to death through danger, hardship, or disaster.
fail
Describes losing function, not the end of life.
fade
Describes gradually weakening or disappearing rather than abruptly stopping.