25 English Idioms About Death

40 English Idioms About Death and Their Meaning

English Idioms & Phrases

Sharing is caring!

Kick the bucket – to die

  • My grandpa kicked the bucket last year.

Pass away – to die (polite way)

  • My neighbor passed away peacefully.

Bite the dust – to die or fail

  • The old tree finally bit the dust.

Give up the ghost – to die or stop working

  • My phone gave up the ghost last night.

At death’s door – very sick or close to dying

  • The old man was at death’s door but recovered.

Rest in peace – a phrase to show respect for someone who has died

  • We say “Rest in peace” when someone passes away.

Six feet under – dead and buried

  • He is now six feet under after a long illness.

Go to a better place – to die and go to heaven

  • Grandma is not in pain anymore; she went to a better place.

Meet one’s maker – to die and face God

  • The knight was ready to meet his maker.

Join the angels – to go to heaven

  • The little puppy joined the angels.

Breathe one’s last – to take the last breath before dying

  • The king breathed his last after a long reign.

Pay the ultimate price – to die because of one’s actions

  • The hero paid the ultimate price to save others.

Pushing up daisies – dead and buried

  • If you don’t take care of yourself, you’ll be pushing up daisies soon!

Lay someone to rest – to bury someone

  • We laid our pet dog to rest in the backyard.

Depart this life – to die

  • The poet departed this life at a young age.

Go to one’s last home – to die

  • After a long illness, she went to her last home.

Dance with death – to be in great danger

  • The stuntman danced with death during the show.

Cross the great divide – to die

  • The brave soldier crossed the great divide.

Take one’s last breath – to die

  • The old man took his last breath surrounded by family.

Gone but not forgotten – someone has died, but they are remembered

  • My grandmother is gone but not forgotten.

A matter of life and death – very serious situation

  • Getting clean water is a matter of life and death.

Cheat death – escape from a dangerous situation

  • The driver cheated death in the accident.

Face one’s mortality – realize that one will die one day

  • After being sick, he had to face his mortality.

Like there’s no tomorrow – doing something as if it’s your last day

  • He was eating like there’s no tomorrow!

A fate worse than death – something very bad

  • Losing her family was a fate worse than death.

Come to a sticky end – die in a bad way

  • The villain came to a sticky end in the movie.

Dead and gone – completely gone

  • The dinosaurs are dead and gone.

Dead as a doornail – completely dead

  • The fish was as dead as a doornail.

Dead man walking – someone who will die soon

  • The prisoner felt like a dead man walking.

Life is short – a reminder to enjoy life

  • Let’s have fun because life is short!

No longer with us – a polite way to say someone died

  • My uncle is no longer with us.

On one’s last legs – very weak and close to death

  • The old horse was on its last legs.

Say one’s goodbyes – say final words before someone dies

  • We went to say our goodbyes to Grandpa.

To be history – to be gone or dead

  • The pirates who once lived here are history now.

Gone to the great beyond – died and gone to the afterlife

  • The famous singer has gone to the great beyond.

Go belly up – to die or stop working

  • My goldfish went belly up last night.

Pass on to the other side – die and go to the afterlife

  • Some people believe we pass on to the other side.

Breathe one’s last sigh – die peacefully

  • The kind lady breathed her last sigh in her sleep.

Be taken too soon – die at a young age

  • The young hero was taken too soon.

The final curtain – the end of life

  • The actor’s final curtain came last year.

Read more:

Sharing is caring!

Related Posts