dying

[ dahy-ing ]

adjective

1. ceasing to live; approaching death; expiring:

   a dying man.

2. of, relating to, or associated with death:

   his dying hour.

3. given, uttered, or manifested just before death:

   her dying words.

4. drawing to a close; ending:

   the dying year.

noun

1. the act or process of ceasing to live, ending, or drawing to a close.

dying

/ ˈdaɪɪŋ /

verb

1. the present participle of die 1

adjective

1. relating to or occurring at the moment of death

   a dying wish

Other Word Forms

• half-dying adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of dying¹

1250–1300; Middle English. See die ¹, -ing ², -ing ¹

Idioms and Phrases

see under die .

Example Sentences

Species are dying off, sea levels are rising and extreme weather events are occurring more frequently.

From Los Angeles Times

He had objected to the idea of a children's drawing contest being held when children were dying in Ukraine.

From BBC

She documents trees moving in South America to find survivable habitats, the plight of the critically endangered Sumatran rhino and a small experimental effort to save the dying Great Barrier Reef.

From Los Angeles Times

The result was predictable: measles spread rapidly and children started dying.

From Salon

Thankfully, very few of us know what it’s like to grow up with half our siblings dying from relatively minor infections or experiencing life-long disability from surviving an epidemic.

From Salon

Related Words

• death
• decease
• demise
• expiration
• loss of life
• passing