die
die Lexical Profile
die Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To cease living and undergo the permanent termination of all biological functions (of a person, animal, or plant).
"Without regular watering during the summer drought, the fragile garden saplings will quickly die."
To gradually become fainter, weaker, or less intense until disappearing completely (of a sound, wind, fire, or light).
"We waited inside the cabin until the howling wind began to die down around midnight."
To stop functioning, operating, or holding an electrical charge (of an engine, battery, or machine).
"My phone battery is about to die, so I will call you back as soon as I find a charger."
To experience an overwhelming desire, longing, or emotional reaction (used figuratively in informal contexts).
"The students were dying to hear the results of the national science competition."
• noun
A small throwable cube marked on each face with spots or symbols from one to six, used in board games and games of chance to generate random numbers.
"She rolled the six-sided die across the board to determine how many spaces her token could advance."
A specialized metal tool, mold, or stamp used in manufacturing to cut, shape, coin, or impress materials such as sheet metal or wire.
"The machinist replaced the worn steel die on the hydraulic press before stamping the next batch of coins."
A small, rectangular block of semiconducting material on which a functional integrated circuit is fabricated.
"Engineers managed to shrink the silicon processor die, allowing more transistors to fit onto a single microchip."
Word Nuance & Usage
Do not confuse 'die' (to cease living; present participle 'dying') with its homophone 'dye' (to color a substance; present participle 'dyeing'). As a noun, the irregular plural 'dice' is standard for gaming cubes, whereas the regular plural 'dies' is used for industrial stamping and molding tools.
• Rhymes for die
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
The verb derives from Middle English dien, borrowed from Old Norse deyja ('to pass away'). The noun comes via Old French de from Latin datum ('something given or played'), referring to the casting of lots in games of chance.