50 Idioms for Dead With Meanings & Sentences
Idioms for Dead
1. Kick the bucket
Meaning: To die.
In a Sentence: Sadly, my old neighbor kicked the bucket last night.
Other Ways to Say: Pass away, Die, Expire.
2. Pushing up daisies
Meaning: To be dead and buried.
In a Sentence: When I’m gone, I want to be buried under a big oak tree, pushing up daisies.
Other Ways to Say: Six feet under, In the grave.
3. Bite the dust
Meaning: To die or fall in battle.
In a Sentence: Many soldiers bit the dust during the war.
Other Ways to Say: Perish, Be slain, Pass away.
4. Cross over
Meaning: To pass from life to death.
In a Sentence: Grandma peacefully crossed over in her sleep.
Other Ways to Say: Depart this life, Pass on.
5. Cash in one’s chips
Meaning: To die.
In a Sentence: After a long battle with illness, my grandfather finally cashed in his chips peacefully.
Other Ways to Say: Kick the bucket, Pass away.
6. Meet one’s maker
Meaning: To die and face judgment.
In a Sentence: He feared he might meet his maker in that accident.
Other Ways to Say: Die, Go to heaven, Pass on.
7. Buy the farm
Meaning: To die, often suddenly.
In a Sentence: The pilot bought the farm when his jet crashed.
Other Ways to Say: Perish, Lose one’s life, Be killed.
8. Six feet under
Meaning: To be dead and buried.
In a Sentence: He’s been six feet under for over ten years now.
Other Ways to Say: Buried, In the ground, Pushing up daisies.
9. Rest in peace
Meaning: Wishing peace to someone who has died.
In a Sentence: We said our goodbyes and wished her to rest in peace.
Other Ways to Say: Sleep peacefully, Eternal rest.
10. Gone to a better place
Meaning: A gentle way to say someone has died.
In a Sentence: After so much suffering, she’s finally gone to a better place.
Other Ways to Say: Passed on, With the angels.
11. Answer the final call
Meaning: To die or respond to death’s call.
In a Sentence: He answered the final call just after midnight.
Other Ways to Say: Pass away, Breathe one’s last.
12. Give up the ghost
Meaning: To stop living.
In a Sentence: The old man gave up the ghost in the hospital.
Other Ways to Say: Die, Pass away.
13. Join the choir invisible
Meaning: A poetic way to say someone has died.
In a Sentence: That singer has joined the choir invisible.
Other Ways to Say: Pass away, Be no more.
14. Depart this life
Meaning: A formal way to say someone has died.
In a Sentence: He departed this life after a long illness.
Other Ways to Say: Die, Cross over.
15. Sleep the eternal sleep
Meaning: To die.
In a Sentence: He now sleeps the eternal sleep with peace.
Other Ways to Say: Rest in peace, Be at rest.
16. Be no more
Meaning: A formal or poetic way of saying someone has died.
In a Sentence: The great leader is no more.
Other Ways to Say: Passed away, Departed.
17. Take the last breath
Meaning: To die.
In a Sentence: She took her last breath surrounded by family.
Other Ways to Say: Expire, Pass away.
18. Be laid to rest
Meaning: To be buried after death.
In a Sentence: He was laid to rest beside his wife.
Other Ways to Say: Buried, Interred.
19. Draw one’s last breath
Meaning: To die.
In a Sentence: She drew her last breath with a smile.
Other Ways to Say: Die, Expire.
20. Pass on
Meaning: A polite way of saying someone has died.
In a Sentence: His mother passed on during the night.
Other Ways to Say: Departed, Died.
21. Depart this world
Meaning: To die.
In a Sentence: He departed this world surrounded by loved ones.
Other Ways to Say: Leave life, Cross over.
22. Close one’s eyes forever
Meaning: To die.
In a Sentence: She closed her eyes forever during surgery.
Other Ways to Say: Rest eternally, Die peacefully.
23. The end of the road
Meaning: A metaphor for death.
In a Sentence: For him, it was the end of the road.
Other Ways to Say: Final rest, Life’s end.
24. Ride into the sunset
Meaning: To pass away or end life peacefully.
In a Sentence: He rode into the sunset after a long and good life.
Other Ways to Say: Pass peacefully, Exit life.
25. Meet death
Meaning: To die.
In a Sentence: The soldier met death on the battlefield.
Other Ways to Say: Perish, Pass away.
26. Breathing your last
Meaning: To die or take one’s final breath.
In a Sentence: The old king breathed his last surrounded by his family.
Other Ways to Say: Draw one’s last breath, Pass on.
27. Knocked off
Meaning: Killed or murdered, often suddenly.
In a Sentence: The mob boss was knocked off in a back alley.
Other Ways to Say: Taken out, Eliminated.
28. Rest in peace
Meaning: A phrase expressing the hope that someone who has died finds peace in death.
In a Sentence: May she rest in peace after such a difficult life.
Other Ways to Say: Sleep peacefully, Eternal rest.
29. Bought it
Meaning: Slang for having died, especially in a violent manner.
In a Sentence: The soldier bought it in the last battle.
Other Ways to Say: Bit the dust, Met his end.
30. Sleeping with the fishes
Meaning: To be dead, often as a result of foul play.
In a Sentence: The detective believed the missing man was sleeping with the fishes.
Other Ways to Say: Gone for good, Disposed of.
31. Met his Maker
Meaning: To die and face judgment from a higher power.
In a Sentence: After years of crime, he finally met his Maker.
Other Ways to Say: Passed on, Gone to God.
32. Gone to the great beyond
Meaning: A euphemism for dying and moving on to the afterlife.
In a Sentence: She has gone to the great beyond, free from pain.
Other Ways to Say: Passed over, Beyond this world.
33. Bit the big one
Meaning: Slang for dying, often used humorously or sarcastically.
In a Sentence: His favorite movie hero bit the big one in the final scene.
Other Ways to Say: Bought the farm, Checked out.
34. Tapped out
Meaning: Slang for dead or completely finished.
In a Sentence: After years of illness, he finally tapped out.
Other Ways to Say: Done for, Out cold.
35. Gone to meet their ancestors
Meaning: A cultural idiom meaning someone has died and joined their forebears.
In a Sentence: The tribe believes he has gone to meet his ancestors.
Other Ways to Say: Joined the elders, Passed on.
36. Checked out for good
Meaning: To die permanently, not just leave.
In a Sentence: Sadly, Uncle Sam checked out for good last night.
Other Ways to Say: Gone forever, Departed.
37. Gave up the ghost
Meaning: To die or stop functioning.
In a Sentence: The engine gave up the ghost just before we arrived.
Other Ways to Say: Expired, Stopped living.
38. Passed away
Meaning: A polite way to say someone has died.
In a Sentence: My grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep.
Other Ways to Say: Departed, No longer with us.
39. With the angels
Meaning: To have died and be in a peaceful or heavenly state.
In a Sentence: She’s now with the angels, watching over us.
Other Ways to Say: In heaven, Resting in glory.
40. Gone to glory
Meaning: Euphemism for going to heaven after death.
In a Sentence: The preacher said the soul had gone to glory.
Other Ways to Say: In eternal rest, At peace.
41. Goner
Meaning: Someone who is about to die or cannot be saved.
In a Sentence: When the car crashed, I thought I was a goner.
Other Ways to Say: Doomed, Beyond help.
42. Crossed over
Meaning: Passed into the next life or dimension.
In a Sentence: They believe she crossed over during the night.
Other Ways to Say: Passed on, Gone beyond.
43. No longer with us
Meaning: A gentle way to say someone has died.
In a Sentence: He is no longer with us, but his memory lives on.
Other Ways to Say: Departed, Gone.
44. Time was up
Meaning: Someone has reached the end of their life.
In a Sentence: When his time was up, he accepted it calmly.
Other Ways to Say: The end came, Out of time.
45. Lights out
Meaning: A metaphor for dying, often used for sudden death.
In a Sentence: After the accident, it was lights out for the driver.
Other Ways to Say: Gone dark, Final moment.
46. Cold as a stone
Meaning: Completely dead, no signs of life.
In a Sentence: By the time help arrived, he was cold as a stone.
Other Ways to Say: Lifeless, Without breath.
47. The final curtain
Meaning: The end of someone’s life, like the end of a performance.
In a Sentence: His final curtain came after a long and successful career.
Other Ways to Say: The end, Curtain call.
48. At death’s door
Meaning: Very close to death.
In a Sentence: After the surgery, he was at death’s door for days.
Other Ways to Say: On the edge, Near the end.
49. Laid to rest
Meaning: Buried after death.
In a Sentence: He was laid to rest beside his parents.
Other Ways to Say: Buried, Put to rest.
50. Went out like a light
Meaning: Died suddenly and without much struggle.
In a Sentence: He went out like a light in his sleep.
Other Ways to Say: Passed quietly, Gone in peace.
