die hard

die ¹  (d)

intr.v. died, dy·ing (dng), dies

1. To cease living; become dead; expire.

2. To cease existing, especially by degrees; fade: The sunlight died in the west.

3. To experience an agony or suffering suggestive of that of death: nearly died of embarrassment.

4. Informal To desire something greatly: I am dying for a box of chocolates. She was dying to see the exhibit.

5.

a. To cease operation; stop: If your vehicle dies, stay with it.

b. To be destroyed, as in combat: could see the remains of two aircraft that had died in the attack.

6. To become indifferent: had died to all worldly concerns.

Phrasal Verbs:

die back Botany

To be affected by dieback.

die down

To lose strength; subside: The winds died down.

die off

To undergo a sudden, sharp decline in population: Rabbits were dying off in that county.

die out

To cease living completely; become extinct: tribes and tribal customs that died out centuries ago.

Idioms:

die hard

1. To take a long time in passing out of existence: racial prejudices that die hard.

2. To resist against overwhelming, hopeless odds: radicalism that dies hard.

die on the vine

To fail, as from lack of support, especially at an early stage: a plan that died on the vine.

to die for Informal

Remarkable or highly desirable.

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[Middle English dien, probably from Old Norse deyja; see dheu-² in Indo-European roots.]

Thesaurus

Verb

1.

die hard - continue to exist; "These stories die hard"; "The legend of Elvis endures" persist, prevail, endure, run continue - exist over a prolonged period of time; "The bad weather continued for two more weeks" carry over - transfer or persist from one stage or sphere of activity to another run - occur persistently; "Musical talent runs in the family" reverberate - have a long or continuing effect; "The discussions with my teacher reverberated throughout my adult life"