suicide

1 of 3

noun

sui·​cide ˈsü-ə-ˌsīd How to pronounce suicide (audio)
plural suicides
1
a
: the act or an instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally
commit suicide
had thoughts of suicide
b
: ruin of one's own interests
political suicide
c
: apoptosis
cell suicide
2
: one that commits or attempts suicide

suicide

2 of 3

adjective

: of or relating to suicide
especially : being or performing a deliberate act resulting in the voluntary death of the person who does it
a suicide mission
a suicide bomber

suicide

3 of 3

verb

suicided; suiciding

intransitive verb

: to commit suicide

transitive verb

: to put (oneself) to death

Examples of suicide in a Sentence

Noun She had thoughts of suicide. Authorities have officially ruled the death a suicide. There were two suicides last year at the university.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Latin sui (genitive) of oneself + English -cide; akin to Old English & Old High German sīn his, Latin suus one's own, sed, se without, Sanskrit sva oneself, one's own

First Known Use

Noun

1643, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Adjective

1765, in the meaning defined above

Verb

1818, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of suicide was in 1643

Dictionary Entries Near suicide

Cite this Entry

“Suicide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suicide. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

suicide

noun
sui·​cide
ˈsü-ə-ˌsīd
1
a
: the act of killing oneself purposely
b
: ruin of one's own interests
risking political suicide
2
: a person who commits or attempts suicide
suicidal
ˌsü-ə-ˈsīd-ᵊl
adjective
suicide adjective

Medical Definition

suicide

1 of 2 noun
sui·​cide ˈsü-ə-ˌsīd How to pronounce suicide (audio)
1
: the act or an instance of taking one's own life voluntarily and intentionally
2
: a person who commits or attempts suicide

suicide

2 of 2 verb
suicided; suiciding

intransitive verb

: to commit suicide

transitive verb

: to put (oneself) to death

More from Merriam-Webster on suicide

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