Printer Friendly
Dictionary, Encyclopedia and Thesaurus - The Free Dictionary
1,809,408,075 visitors served.
forum mailing list For webmasters
?
New: Language forums
Dictionary/
thesaurus
Medical
dictionary
Legal
dictionary
Financial
dictionary
Acronyms
 
Idioms
Encyclopedia
Wikipedia
encyclopedia
?

die off

   Also found in: Idioms 0.03 sec.
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.

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

die 2  (d)
n. pl. dies or dice (ds)
1. pl. dies A device used for cutting out, forming, or stamping material, especially:
a. An engraved metal piece used for impressing a design onto a softer metal, as in coining money.
b. One of several component pieces that are fitted into a diestock to cut threads on screws or bolts.
c. A part on a machine that punches shaped holes in, cuts, or forms sheet metal, cardboard, or other stock.
d. A metal block containing small conical holes through which plastic, metal, or other ductile material is extruded or drawn.
2. pl. dies Architecture The dado of a pedestal, especially when cube-shaped.
3. pl. dice
a. A small cube marked on each side with from one to six dots, usually used in pairs in gambling and in various other games.
b. dice (used with a sing. verb) A game of chance using dice.
tr.v. died, die·ing, dies
To cut, form, or stamp with or as if with a die.
Idioms:
load the dice
1. To make an outcome highly probable; predetermine a result: "These factors merely load the dice, upping the odds that a household will fall into a certain . . . income distribution" (Thomas G. Exter).
2. To put another at a distinct disadvantage, as through prior maneuver: The dice were loaded against the defendant before the trial.
no dice
1. Of no use; futile.
2. Used as a refusal to a request.
the die is cast
The decision has been made and is irrevocable.

[Middle English de, gaming die, from Old French, from Latin datum, given, from neuter past participle of dare, to give; see d- in Indo-European roots.]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Verb1.die off - become extinct; "Dinosaurs died out"
disappear, vanish, go away - get lost, as without warning or explanation; "He disappeared without a trace"
Translations
? die off
vi(hin)wegsterben; (animals, people also)(der Reihe nach) sterben


How to thank TFD for its existence? Tell a friend about us, add a link to this page, add the site to iGoogle, or visit webmaster's page for free fun content.
?Page tools
Printer friendly
Cite / link
Email
Feedback
Add definition
? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
No one was then thinking of the king, who, leaning on his elbow at his window, had sadly seen pass away all that light, and heard that noise die off -- no, not one, if it was not that unknown of the hostelry des Medici, whom we have seen go out, enveloped in his cloak.
There are fourteen water-mills, six steam-engines, and a galvanic battery, always a-working upon it, and they can't make it fast enough, though the men work so hard that they die off, and the widows is pensioned directly, with twenty pound a-year for each of the children, and a premium of fifty for twins.
It may cause other parties interested to become lax about their interests; and people may die off, and points may drag themselves out of memory, and many things may smoothly happen that are convenient enough.
 
Dictionary/thesaurus browser? ? Full browser
 
 
Dictionary, Thesaurus, and Translations
?

Disclaimer | Privacy policy | Feedback | Copyright © 2009 Farlex, Inc.
All content on this website, including dictionary, thesaurus, literature, geography, and other reference data is for informational purposes only. This information should not be considered complete, up to date, and is not intended to be used in place of a Terms of Use.