10 English Idioms and Expressions About Death

A retired lawyer, I'm fascinated by words, nuances of meanings & ideas. I’ve always enjoyed reading, languages, & writing, including poetry

Talking About Death

This article will help you if you are learning English as a second language ( ESL or ESOL , TESOL or even TSL ) and, if English is your home language, I hope it will entertain you

Some of these English idioms are respectful and more formal, whilst others are less formal, or even humorous or unsympathetic.

There are many more expressions you can use when talking about death, but I have picked out just a few, to get you started on the path to mortality.

Here Is A List Of The Various Ways You Can Describe Death Or Dying

I will explain in detail lower down the page how each expression is used, and in what circumstances it is most appropriate

1. To Die

2. To Pass Over

3. To Pass Away

4. To Snuff it

5. To Kick the Bucket

6. Picking Daisies

7. Six Feet Under

8. To Give up the Ghost

9. To Breathe His/Her Last Breath

10.To Go to Meet His/Her Maker

1. To Die

This is the straightforward no-frills way of stating the event. You can say "he died last week", "he will die soon", or even "he wishes he could die".

When giving condolences to someone who has just died, you might say "I'm sorry to hear about your husband's death".

However, you need to be aware that some people are uncomfortable with speaking about someone's death - they seem to feel uneasy about being so direct, and don't like the word "death" mentioned in that context. It is therefore common to use a circumlocution, avoiding the words die and death altogether, and they would prefer to hear phrase No. 2 below.

But if you are talking about historical facts, it is in order to speak about death directly, and you might say "many people died in the hurricane".

You could also warn people about doing something dangerous, such as "if you play with guns, someone might die".

I'm not sure why there is a distinction between the way you talk about deaths in general and the way you would refer to someone personally known to you, but there just is a difference .

2. To Pass Away

This is a respectful euphemism to avoid mentioning death or dying, as in "my aunt passed away last week".

You might also say of someone in hospital "he is expected to pass away soon". But you would NOT say "if you jump off the roof you might pass away".

It is very common when speaking of a loved one or giving condolences to write or say "I'm so sorry to hear that your husband passed away" - in fact this is the usual way of expressing it.

3. To Pass Over (Or To Pass Over To The Other Side)

People might say "he passed over after a long illness".

I personally would not use this respectful expression, because it infers that you have knowledge or belief of the hereafter, and is slightly mystical. I would expect to hear this phrase spoken by deeply religious people, possibly of all denominations which believe in life after death, where dying is merely crossing the border between now and whatever comes next.

As with No. 2 above, you would not normally use this expression when stating historical facts or talking about the future.

Ophelia By John Everett Milais

4. To Snuff It

As in "Where's her old man?"..."He snuffed it last year".

This is irreverent slang or humor, used generally in the past tense - you don't really hear of people currently snuffing it, or doing so in the future, so you would not say "he's snuffing it" in the way that you might say "he's dying" or "he will die".

This expression is a bit disrespectful, and you should not use it when talking to a bereaved person, although you might use it when talking to someone who is not emotionally involved.

If there is any doubt, don't use it.

5. To Kick The Bucket

As in "He kicked the bucket a year ago".

Again, similarly to No. 4 above, this is a slightly disrespectful or humorous way of talking about dying and you should be careful where you use this slang phrase.

Picking Daisies

6. Picking Daisies

Similar to No. 4 and 5 above, but slightly gentler.

So if you say "He's picking daisies", it's perhaps a little humorous, but not disrespectful - more neutral, really.

7. Six Feet Under

As in "He's six feet under". This refers to the standard depth for burying a corpse in a churchyard.

This expression is very informal, and is used humorously. You wouldn't use it when offering condolences or speaking of historical facts in a general way.

The Death Of Two English Princes - Princes In The Tower - Richard Northcote

8. To Give Up The Ghost

As in "He gave up the ghost last year". A reference to his spirit leaving his body.

This expression is informal, but not necessarily humorous.

9. To Breathe One's Last Breath

As in "He breathed his last breath last night". This expression is fairly formal, and virtually factual.

10. To Go To Meet One's Maker

As in "He has gone to meet his Maker". This expression is fairly formal, and more likely to be used by someone religious.

More Pages About English Idioms

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• 10 Common English Idioms, their Meanings & Uncommon Origins
  10 common English idioms, what they mean and the unlikely stories of their origins.
• 15 Legal or Law Idioms Explained to English as a Second Language Learners
  Idioms or idiomatic expressions are one of the toughest English topics to master for many learners of English as a Second Language or ESL. They are quite complicated. Most of the time, the individual meanings of the words that make them up do...

A Video - Speaking English at Work

Assisted Dying Is Much Discussed In The UK At Present, And There Is A Move Afoot To RelaxThe Law In This Respect

• Labour MP Rob Marris launches fresh 'right to die' bill - BBC News
  Labour MP Rob Marris launches a fresh effort to give some terminally-ill patients the right to die, with the first Commons vote on the issue in nearly 20 years.
• Lord Falconer's Assisted Dying Bill - Dignity in Dying
  Lord Falconer’s Assisted Dying Bill will be debated, and maybe voted on, when the Bill receives its Second Reading in the House of Lords on Friday 18 July.
• Is Assisted Suicide Ever An Option?
  Brittany Maynard's decision to end her life has been a strong talking point lately. Should terminally ill patients have the right to physician-assisted suicide? This article explores some options.

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© 2013 Diana Grant

Let Me Know Whether This List Helped You, Or Whether You Enjoyed It (Although The Two Are Not Necessarily Mutually Exclusive)

Diana Grant (author) from London on April 11, 2017:

Thanks - it never ceases to amaze me how many different ways there are in English to say the same thing. I'm still learning and I'm in my fourth quartile of a century!

Diana Grant (author) from London on April 02, 2017:

Thanks - I enjoyed writing it - I love talking about the meanings of words and phrases - I have all sorts of English dictionaries and thesauruses, including numerous different language dictionaries and phrasebooks

Barbara Radisavljevic from Templeton, CA on April 02, 2017:

I was already familiar with these, but I still found it interesting. I think it would be helpful to those who are learning English. I liked your examples of when each idiom is or is not appropriate.

Cheryl Green on February 28, 2015:

wow thank you for this article.this is very helpful

Diana Grant (author) from London on August 24, 2014:

I think "Bite the big one" must be an American expression?

Tanya Jones from Texas USA on August 24, 2014:

When I saw this, the Goth in my had to pop in. Now, I've not heard picking daisies, but I have heard pushing up daisies. I took this to be rather tongue-in-cheek. Very amusing list. One I didn't see above, "... to bite the big one."

Diana Grant (author) from London on November 11, 2013:

Thanks Billybuc - you've made my day - or should I say "love you to death"?

Bill Holland from Olympia, WA on November 11, 2013:

I love it. I love any article that is fresh and new and helpful. Well done!