dying

dying — adjective

1. describing a person whose body is shutting down and whose life is expected to en

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

describing a person whose body is shutting down and whose life is expected to end soon, usually because of illness or old age.

Example

The dying patient asked the night-shift nurse to call his daughter.

dying + noun referring to a person

Aarav's dying grandmother held his hand and smiled for the last time.

possessive + dying + family noun

Common collocations
  • dying patient
  • dying man/woman
  • dying child
  • dying grandmother/father/mother
  • dying soldier
Synonyms
  • terminally ill

    more medical and precise; suggests an incurable condition that will end in death

  • at death's door

    informal and dramatic; suggests being extremely close to death

  • fading

    gentler, often used of elderly people whose strength is slowly leaving them

Antonyms
  • healthy

    in good physical condition, not at risk of dying

  • recovering

    getting better after an illness rather than getting worse

Grammar Patterns

dying + noun

be dying

Usage Note

The fixed expression 'dying to do something' means wanting very badly to do it (e.g. 'Cole was dying to try the new roller coaster'). This is an informal use, not related to actual death.

Common Mistakes

My grandfather is dead from cancer.' (when he is still alive)
My grandfather is dying from cancer.
'dead' means life has ended; 'dying' means the person is still alive but close to death.

2. describing something such as a custom, skill, business, or language that is grad

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing something such as a custom, skill, business, or language that is gradually disappearing because fewer people practise, use, or support it.

Example

Hand-weaving is a dying craft that fewer young people learn each year.

dying + craft / tradition / art form

The once-busy fishing village has become a dying community as young adults leave for cities.

Common collocations
  • dying tradition
  • dying industry
  • dying craft
  • dying language
  • dying art
  • dying business
  • dying community
Synonyms
  • vanishing

    more visual; emphasises the complete disappearance

  • declining

    more neutral and statistical; focuses on the measurable reduction

  • disappearing

    more direct; may be used for both physical and abstract things

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

dying + tradition/industry/craft/language

Common Mistakes

My old car is a dying machine.
My old car is breaking down.
'dying' for declining things is used with industries, traditions, and communities, not with everyday objects.

3. happening at the exact time a person passes away, or directly connected to that

3.adjectiveB2
Definition

happening at the exact time a person passes away, or directly connected to that final moment — such as a last request, final words, or the precise instant of death.

Example

The dying wish of Eve's grandfather was for the whole family to stay together.

dying wish — a last request before death

A priest arrived at the hospital to hear the dying man's final confession.

Common collocations
  • dying wish
  • dying words
  • dying breath
  • dying confession
  • dying moment
Synonyms
  • last

    more general; 'last words' can refer to the final words in any context, not necessarily before death

  • final

    similar to 'last'; can be used in non-death contexts

  • deathbed

    functions similarly as an adjective (deathbed confession) but as a compound noun

Grammar Patterns

dying + wish/words/breath/moment

Usage Note

Common in set phrases: 'dying wish' (a final request), 'dying words' (last statements), 'dying breath' (the very last moment of life). These are often used in storytelling or historical accounts.

4. describing the final stretch of someone's existence; found almost exclusively in

4.adjectiveB2
Definition

describing the final stretch of someone's existence; found almost exclusively in the set phrase 'to one's dying day', meaning for the remainder of that person's years until death.

Example

Talia swore to her dying day that she saw a ghost in the old house.

to + possessive + dying day (fixed expression)

The old fisherman kept the photograph beside his bed to his dying day.

Common collocations
  • to one's dying day
  • to her dying day
  • to his dying day
  • to your dying day
Synonyms

Grammar Patterns

to + possessive + dying day

Usage Note

This sense is almost entirely restricted to the phrase 'to one's dying day'. It emphasises that a person held a belief, feeling, or memory continuously until the moment of death. Distinguish from sense 3 (DEATHBED), which describes events at the deathbed itself rather than a lifelong duration.

5. occurring in the closing moments of a sports competition, formal meeting, or oth

5.adjectiveB2
Definition

occurring in the closing moments of a sports competition, formal meeting, or other timed event, often while the result is not yet settled.

Example

Ramón scored the winning goal in the dying minutes of the match.

dying minutes of + event

The home team fought back in the dying seconds of the game.

Common collocations
  • dying minutes
  • dying seconds
  • dying moments
  • dying hours
  • dying days
Synonyms
  • final

    more general and neutral; 'final minutes' simply states time position without the urgency of 'dying minutes'

  • closing

    focuses on the end of a period rather than the dramatic tension

Antonyms
  • opening

    at the start of an event, not the end

Grammar Patterns

dying + minutes/seconds/moments/hours + of + event

Usage Note

This sense is most common in British English sports commentary ('the dying minutes') and news reporting. It always modifies a time noun (minutes, seconds, moments, hours, days) followed by 'of' and the event name.

Common Mistakes

I finished my homework in the dying minutes.
I finished my homework in the dying minutes of the class.
you need to specify what event is ending.
Idioms

his/her last/dying breath

idiom

The final moment of a person's life.

With his dying breath, the soldier whispered his final wish.

Did she reveal the secret with her last breath?

dying — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four expressions describe someone close to the end of life, but they differ in tone and context. 'Dying' (B1) is the most general and neutral term — it can be used in casual conversation, medical settings, and journalism. 'Terminally ill' (B2) is a clinical label that specifically means a disease cannot be cured and will lead to death; it sounds more formal and is preferred in hospital reports and legal documents. 'Fading' is gentler and more literary — it suggests a slow, peaceful decline often from old age rather than illness ('the fading light of her grandmother's life'). 'At death's door' is an informal, dramatic idiom that should be reserved for emotional or conversational use ('After the fever, Grandpa was at death's door for three days'). In formal writing, choose 'dying' or 'terminally ill'; in storytelling or personal anecdotes, all four are possible depending on tone.

dying ↗terminally illfadingat death's door ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

Prepositions

  • dying of (cancer, old age)
  • dying from (injuries, a disease)

Etymology

Proto-GermanicOld EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Dying' is the present participle of the verb 'die', which comes from Old English 'dīegan' (to die, to lose life). This word goes back to Proto-Germanic *dawjaną, related to Old Norse 'deyja' and Gothic 'divan'. The adjective use — describing someone or something approaching death or an end — appeared in English around the 14th century. The figurative use for traditions, industries, and sports events developed later, in the 19th and 20th centuries.