zombie

zombie — noun

1. Within the horror genre, a corpse that rises and walks after dying, sometimes th

1.nounB1
Definition

Within the horror genre, a corpse that rises and walks after dying, sometimes through magical forces or an infection. These creatures lack the ability to think clearly and frequently attack people who are still alive.

Example

The zombie slowly walked down the empty street with its arms stretched forward.

Daichi watched a zombie film where the creatures came out of their graves at midnight.

zombie film — compound noun for horror genre

Common collocations
  • zombie apocalypse
  • zombie outbreak
  • zombie attack
  • zombie film
  • zombie movie
  • zombie game
  • like a zombie
Synonyms
  • the walking dead

    A more dramatic, literary way to refer to zombies as a group; often used in titles

  • undead

    An adjective or collective noun for any creature that is dead but active, including zombies and skeletons

  • ghoul

    A creature similar to a zombie that robs graves or eats dead bodies; more common in Middle Eastern folklore

Grammar Patterns

zombie + noun (zombie movie / zombie attack)

like a zombie (comparative)

Usage Note

This is by far the most common meaning of zombie, used in films, television series, video games, and Halloween events. The word is frequently used as a modifier in compound nouns such as zombie apocalypse, zombie outbreak, and zombie thriller.

Common Mistakes

The zombie drank the blood of its victim.
The zombie bit the victim on the arm.
In most horror stories, zombies do not drink blood; that is behaviour associated with vampires.

2. In certain Caribbean religious traditions, particularly Haitian Vodou, followers

2.nounB2
Definition

In certain Caribbean religious traditions, particularly Haitian Vodou, followers believe a sorcerer can use magic to bring a corpse back to life and control its actions.

Example

Élise read a book about the belief in zombies in Haitian folk tradition.

belief in zombies — noun phrase

In some Caribbean stories, a zombie has no memory of its past life.

Common collocations
  • Haitian zombie
  • Vodou zombie
  • zombie legend
  • zombie belief
  • turn someone into a zombie
Synonyms
  • reanimated corpse

    A neutral, scientific-sounding term that avoids cultural or fictional associations

  • revenant

    A dead person who returns from the dead, especially in ghost folklore; less specific than zombie

Grammar Patterns

a zombie in + culture/tradition

belief in zombies

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: this meaning refers to an actual religious or folk belief, not a fictional horror creature. The word entered English through travel and anthropology books about Haiti in the late 1800s, before it became associated with horror stories.

Common Mistakes

Vodou zombies are the same as horror movie zombies.
Vodou zombies are part of a religious belief, while horror movie zombies are fictional creatures.
The two meanings have different origins and cultural contexts.

3. A person who is extremely exhausted, moves and acts without thought, and seems b

3.nounB2
Definition

A person who is extremely exhausted, moves and acts without thought, and seems barely aware of their surroundings.

Example

After the long flight from Tokyo to New York, Jin felt like a complete zombie.

feel like a zombie — informal simile for exhaustion

Elena walked into the kitchen like a zombie and poured herself a glass of water.

Common collocations
  • feel like a zombie
  • look like a zombie
  • walk around like a zombie
  • like a zombie
Synonyms
  • automaton

    A person who acts in a mechanical, unthinking way; more formal than zombie

  • sleepwalker

    Someone who appears to be acting without full awareness; similar to zombie but suggests literal tiredness

  • drone

    A person who works or acts in a dull, repetitive way without thinking

Antonyms
  • live wire

    An energetic person who is full of life and enthusiasm; opposite of zombie in the informal sense

Grammar Patterns

feel like a zombie

look like a zombie

walk around like a zombie

Usage Note

Always used as a simile (like a zombie) or with a linking verb (feel/look like a zombie). It is informal and most common in spoken English. Do not use to describe a medical condition — it is a casual metaphor for tiredness or boredom.

Common Mistakes

I am so zombie today.
I feel like a zombie today.
Zombie is a noun, not an adjective. Always use like a zombie or as a zombie.

Word family

  • zombified
    adjectiveC1
  • zombielike
    adjectiveC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Zombie is the most common term for a reanimated corpse in modern horror, usually a mindless creature that moves slowly and attacks people. The walking dead is a broader, more literary phrase that refers to zombies as a group or an apocalyptic state — for example, the TV show title The Walking Dead. Undead is an umbrella adjective or collective noun covering any dead-but-active being: zombies, vampires, skeletons, and ghosts all fall under the undead category. A ghoul is a related monster from Arabic folklore that robs graves and eats human flesh, but unlike a zombie, a ghoul has intelligence and can use tricks. Revenant is an older, more formal word for a person who returns from the dead, often for revenge, and is rarely used for mindless zombies. Use zombie for everyday horror references; undead for the broader category; and the walking dead when describing the post-apocalyptic zombie genre specifically.

zombie ↗the walking deadundead ↗ghoulrevenant

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • like a zombie
  • turn into a zombie
  • a horde of zombies
  • belief in zombies

Etymology

KikongoHaitian CreoleEnglish

Zombie comes from the Kikongo language of Central Africa, where nzumbi means a fetish or a dead person's spirit. The word travelled to the Caribbean through the slave trade and entered Haitian Creole as zonbi, referring to a dead body revived by a sorcerer. English speakers first encountered the term in travel books about Haiti in the late 1800s. Since the mid-20th century, horror films and popular culture have spread the modern meaning of a mindless, flesh-eating undead creature.