/ded; dɛd/
adj
1 (a) no longer alive 死的
*a dead person, animal 死的人、动物
* dead flowers, cells 凋谢的花、死的细胞
* The tiger fell dead. 老虎倒地死去.
(b) never having been alive; inanimate 无生命的; 无生气的
*dead matter, eg rock 无生命的物质（如岩石）.
2 (a) without movement or activity 无活动的
*The town is dead now the mine has closed. 因矿井已关闭, 镇上一片死气沉沉.
* in the dead hours of the night, ie when everything is quiet 在夜深人静时.
(b) (infml 口) without interest and liveliness; dull 无趣的; 无生气的; 呆滞的
*What a dead place this is! 这地方多没意思!
* The acting was rather dead. 表演十分乏味.
3 no longer used, effective, valid, etc 不再使用的、已无作用的、已失效的等
*This debate is now dead. 辩论现已过去.
* My love for him is dead. 我不再爱他了.
* a dead language, eg Latin 死的语言（如拉丁语）.
4 (a) numb from cold, anaesthetic, etc 冻僵的; 麻木的
*My dead fingers could not untie the knot. 我的手指麻木了, 解不开结.
(b) [pred 作表语] ~ to sth not feeling (pity, guilt, etc) 无动于衷; 无感觉
*He was dead to all feelings of shame. 他恬不知耻.
5 [attrib 作定语] complete; absolute 全然地; 完全地
*dead calm, silence, etc 死一般的平静、沉寂等
* come to a dead stop, ie stop suddenly 猛然停住
* dead centre, ie exact centre 正中心
* a dead shot, ie a person who shoots very accurately 神枪手
* a dead sleep, ie a very deep sleep 熟睡
* He's a dead cert/certainty for (ie He will certainly win) the
100 metres. 他稳拿百米第一.
6 that does, can or will no longer function 不（能）再起作用的
*a dead match, ie one that has been struck 已擦过的火柴
* a dead battery, ie one without power 没电的电池
* The telephone went dead, ie produced no more sounds. 电话没声了.
7 [usu attrib 通常作定语]
(a) (of sounds) not resonant; dull （指声音）无共鸣的, 沉闷的
*It fell with a dead thud. 它砰的一声倒了下来.
(b) (of colours) not brilliant （指颜色）不鲜艳的
*The walls were a dead brown colour. 墙是暗褐色的.
8 (sport 体)
(a) (of a ball) outside the playing area （指球）界外的, 死的.
(b) (of the ground) tending to make balls rolling on it stop quickly （指场地）（对球的滚动）阻力大的
*Rain had made the pitch rather dead. 场地因雨而阻力增大.
9 (idm 习语) be a dead ringer for sb (sl 俚) be very like sb in appearance 外貌上很像某人
*She's a dead ringer for a girl I used to know. 她酷似以前我认识的一个女孩. be the dead spit of sb (infml 口) look exactly like sb else 极像某人. cut sb dead pretend not to have seen sb; refuse to greet sb 装着没看见某人; 拒不向某人打招呼. (as) ,dead as a/the `dodo (infml 口) no longer effective, valid, interesting, etc 已无作用的、已失效的、不再吸引人注意的等
*This organization is as dead as a dodo. 这个组织已不复存在. (as) ,dead as a `doornail/as `mutton (infml 口) quite dead 完全死了的
*It lay there with its eyes closed, dead as a doornail. 它躺在那里眼睛闭着, 确实死了. a dead `duck (infml 口) scheme, etc which has been abandoned, or will fail 被放弃的或将失败的计划等
*The plan is a dead duck
*there's no money. 计划告吹了
*没有钱. a dead `end
(a) = cul-de-sac.
(b) point at which one can make no further progress in work, an enquiry, etc 工作、查询等不能再进展的阶段
*be at/come to a dead end 陷入僵局
* With the failure of the experiment, we had reached a dead end. 试验失败了, 我们一筹莫展.
* [attrib 作定语] a ,dead-end `job/ca`reer, ie one that offers no prospect of promotion 无晋升希望的工作[职业]. the dead hand of sth oppressive influence of sth 某事物的恶劣影响; 流毒
*The dead hand of bureaucracy is slowing our progress. 官僚主义的流毒拖慢了我们的进步. a dead `letter
(a) rule or law that is generally ignored 被普遍忽视的规章或法律.
(b) outdated custom, issue or topic 过时的习俗、论点或话题
*Many people say that detente is now a dead letter. 很多人说缓和国际紧张局势的论调已是明日黄花.
(c) letter kept by the post office because they cannot find either the person to whom it was sent or the person who sent it 死信（无法投递的信件）. a dead `loss (sl 俚) person or thing of no help or use to anyone 对谁都无用的人或物
*This pen is a dead loss
*it just won't write properly. 这枝笔没用了
*书写很不流畅. ,dead men ,tell no `tales (saying 谚) if a person is killed he cannot cause difficulties by revealing sth that one does not wish to be known 死人不会泄密. ,dead men's `shoes job that one takes over from sb who has left unexpectedly or died 从突然离开或去世的某人手中接过来的工作
*She got early promotion by stepping into dead men's shoes. 她因补缺而得以提早晋升. ,dead to the `world fast asleep 熟睡. ,dead `wood useless or unneeded people, material, papers, etc 无用的或不需要的人、材料、文件等
*There is too much dead wood among the teaching staff. 教师中尸位素餐者众.
* The new manager wants to cut out the dead wood and streamline production. 新经理想精简机构以提高生产效率. drop dead => drop2. flog a dead horse => flog. in a dead `faint completely unconscious 完全失去知觉. over my dead `body (used to express one's strong opposition to sth 用以表示对某事物的强烈反对)
*They'll demolish this house over my dead body. 我死也不让他们拆这所房子.
* `I'm going out.' `Over my dead body!' ｀我要出去.＇｀除非我死了!＇ the quick and the dead => quick. wake the dead => wake1. wouldn't be seen `dead in, at, with, etc sth/doing sth (infml 口) would refuse to be in, at, with, etc sth 绝不涉于某事物
*That dress is so ugly I wouldn't be seen dead in it. 那件连衣裙真难看, 我宁死也不穿.
* She wouldn't be seen dead jogging; she hates exercise. 她就是不愿跑步; 她讨厌运动.

adv
1 completely; absolutely; thoroughly 完全地; 绝对地; 彻底地
*dead tired/drunk 极度疲倦[酩酊大醉]
* dead sure/certain 绝对肯定[无疑]
* dead level/straight 非常平[直]
* You're dead right! 你完全正确!
* dead slow, ie as slowly as possible 极慢
* dead ahead, ie directly ahead 正前方
* be dead against (ie absolutely opposed to) sth 坚决反对某事物.
2 (idm 习语) ,dead `beat (infml 口) very tired; exhausted 精疲力竭; 筋疲力尽. (be) ,dead `set against sb/sth (be) strongly opposed to sb/sth 强烈反对某人[某事物]. (be) dead set on sth (be) determined to do sth 决心做某事物
*He's dead set on getting a new job. 他打定主意要找个新工作. stop dead => stop1.

n
1 the dead [pl v] those who have died 已死的人
*We carried the dead and (the) wounded off the battlefield. 我们把伤亡者抬出了战场.
2 (idm 习语) in the/at ,dead of `night in the quietest part of the night 在夜阑人静时
*We escaped at dead of night, when the guards were asleep. 我们在夜静卫兵熟睡时逃跑了. in the ,dead of `winter in the coldest part of winter 在隆冬.