sudden death

noun

1
: unexpected death that is instantaneous or occurs within minutes from any cause other than violence
sudden death following coronary occlusion
2
: extra play to break a tie in a sports contest in which the first to score or gain the lead wins

Examples of sudden death in a Sentence

We won 27–24 in sudden death. a serious heart condition that can result in sudden death
Recent Examples on the Web Christine Brown is paying tribute to Garrison Brown two days after his sudden death. Stephanie Wenger, Peoplemag, 8 Mar. 2024 McConnell led the successful effort to keep Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's seat vacant after his sudden death in January 2016, denying President Obama's appointee Merrick Garland a single hearing. Susan Davis, NPR, 28 Feb. 2024 Years later, Mitchel’s granddaughter was hospitalized after cardiac arrest and diagnosed with long QT syndrome, an abnormality of the heart’s electrical system that can lead to life-threatening arrhythmia and sudden death. Scott Lafee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 27 Feb. 2024 Navalny had been one such individual before his sudden death at a Siberian penal colony. Lauren Said-Moorhouse, CNN, 16 Feb. 2024 The legal action came little more than two weeks after the sudden death of his wife Melinda, who had been his primary caregiver. Michael Peregrine, Forbes, 16 Feb. 2024 In the first playoff game with the NFL’s new overtime rule — each team gets a possession before the game becomes sudden death — the Chiefs lost the OT coin-toss during Super Bowl LVIII against the San Francisco 49ers. Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 12 Feb. 2024 Then, the game DOES become sudden death — so there's a clear potential edge in having the ball third. Noah Trister, USA TODAY, 12 Feb. 2024 The flurry of legal actions come as the United States looks for ways to respond to Putin over the sudden death last week of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in an Arctic prison colony. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 23 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'sudden death.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of sudden death was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near sudden death

Cite this Entry

“Sudden death.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sudden%20death. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

sudden death

noun
: extra play to break a tie in a sports contest in which the first to score or gain the lead wins

Medical Definition

sudden death

noun
: unexpected death that is instantaneous or occurs within minutes or hours from any cause other than violence
sudden death following coronary occlusion
especially : sudden cardiac death

More from Merriam-Webster on sudden death

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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