Death is a universal experience that has inspired countless idioms across cultures and languages. These expressions can be used to convey a range of emotions and attitudes towards death, from fear and sadness to acceptance and even humor. In this page, we will explore some common death idioms and their meanings, origins, and usage.
List of Idioms and Sayings about Death
Death Idioms – Created by 7ESL
Full Fathom Five
Kick the Bucket
Over My Dead Body
Pop One’s Clogs
Pushing Up Daisies
Set in Stone
Six Feet Under
Sleep with the Fishes
Swim with the Fishes
Whistle Past the Graveyard
Your Number Is Up
Bite the dust
Buy the farm
Cash in one’s chips
Cross the Great Divide
Dance with the Grim Reaper
Give up the ghost
Hand in one’s dinner pail
Meet one’s maker
Shuffle off this mortal coil
Death Idioms with Meanings
Idiom
Meaning
Full Fathom Five
A line from Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” is often used to mean something is lost at sea or dead.
Kick the Bucket
To die.
Over My Dead Body
Something will only happen if I’m dead and gone; used to express strong opposition.
Pop One’s Clogs
A British idiom meaning to die.
Pushing Up Daisies
To be dead and buried.
Set in Stone
To be fixed or unchangeable, often not related to death.
Six Feet Under
To be dead and buried.
Sleep with the Fishes
To be dead is typically used in the context of mob violence.
Swim with the Fishes
To be dead, similar to “sleep with the fishes.”
Whistle Past the Graveyard
To remain cheerful in a dire situation; to suppress one’s fears.
Your Number Is Up
Your time is over; often used to mean death is imminent.
Bite the dust
To die or fail.
Buy the farm
To die, especially in an accident or military action.
Cash in one’s chips
To die; to settle one’s affairs and accept the inevitable.
Cross the great divide
To die.
Dance with the Grim Reaper
To be close to death or in a dangerous situation.
Give up the ghost
To die; to cease functioning.
Hand in one’s dinner pail
An old-fashioned term meaning to die.
Meet one’s maker
To die and face God or one’s fate in the afterlife.
Shuffle off this mortal coil
To die; is a phrase from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”
In Memory of – Created by 7ESL
Death Idioms with Examples
Idiom
Example Sentences
Full Fathom Five
The ship sank and now it’s full fathom five on the ocean floor.
Kick the Bucket
The phrase “kick the bucket” is a colloquial way to say someone has died.
Over My Dead Body
She said they would get her family home over her dead body, showing her strong opposition.
Pop One’s Clogs
He’s getting old, but he jokes about not being ready to pop his clogs just yet.
Pushing Up Daisies
The old outlaw movies often had characters who ended up pushing up daisies.
Set in Stone
Though not directly about death, “set in stone” implies something is permanent, much like death.
Six Feet Under
After a long battle with illness, he is now at peace, six feet under.
Sleep with the Fishes
He crossed the wrong people and now he’s sleeping with the fishes.
Swim with the Fishes
If you don’t pay back the loan, you’ll be swimming with the fishes.
Whistle Past the Graveyard
She whistled past the graveyard, trying to hide her fear.
Your Number Is Up
When your number is up, there’s nothing you can do; it’s your time to go.
Bite the Dust
Many fighters in the ring have bitten the dust, but he refuses to give up.
Buy the Farm
He always said if he bought the farm, he’d want to leave his land to his family.
Cash in One’s Chips
After a long life, it was time for him to cash in his chips.
Cross the Great Divide
She lived a good life before crossing the great divide.
Dance with the Grim Reaper
He had a dangerous job, often joking he danced with the Grim Reaper every day.
Give up the Ghost
After years of reliable service, my laptop finally gave up the ghost and wouldn’t turn on.
Hand in One’s Dinner Pail
He worked hard his entire life before finally handing in his dinner pail last winter.
Meet One’s Maker
After a life full of adventure, he met his maker at the ripe old age of 95.
Shuffle off This Mortal Coil
After years of battling a chronic illness, the brave young woman finally shuffled off this mortal coil.
