Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English - death

~ n 1 »THE END OF SB's LIFE« the end of the life of a person or animal + of  (The death of his mother was a great shock. | shortly after Lenin's death in 1924 | the risk of death or serious injury at work) bleed/burn/starve etc to death (=die in a particular way)  (He choked to death on a fishbone. | put sb to death (=kill someone, especially after an official decision))  (Caesar ordered the prisoners to be put to death. | meet your death)  (literary (=die))  (- see also accidental death) 2 »EXAMPLE OF SB DYING« an example of someone dying  (a campaign to reduce the number of deaths on Britain's roads) + from  (deaths from lung cancer) 3 die a horrible/terrible etc death to die in a terrible etc way  (The animals in the traps can die a slow and agonizing death.) 4 »IN ART« Death a creature that looks like a skeleton (1a), used in paintings, stories etc as a sign of death and destruction 5 scared/bored to death informal extremely frightened or bored 6 sick to death of very unhappy with something because it has been annoying you for a long time  (I am sick to death of your complaining!) 7 you'll catch your death (of cold) spoken used as a warning to someone when you think they are likely to become ill because it is wet or cold  (Don't go out without a coat! You'll catch your death of cold!) 8 at death's door be very ill and likely to die 9 like death warmed up/warmed over informal if someone looks or feels like death warmed up, they look or feel very ill or tired 10 »THE END« the permanent end of an idea, custom etc  (an article lamenting the death of classical music) 11 you'll/he'll be the death of me! spoken used, especially humorously, when someone makes you very worried and anxious  (That boy is going to be the death of me!) 12 fight to the death a) to fight until one person is killed b) to fight very hard to achieve something even if it means that you suffer 13 death blow an action or event that makes something fail or end  (The new evidence dealt a death blow to the prosecution case.)  (- see also Black Death, kiss of death kiss2 (2), a matter of life and death life (11))