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2 ADJ A dazzling light is very bright and makes you unable to see properly for a short time. □  He shielded his eyes against the dazzling declining sun. ●  dazz|ling|ly ADV [ADV adj] □  The loading bay seemed dazzlingly bright.

DC /diː siː / N‑UNCOUNT DC is used to refer to an electric current that always flows in the same direction. DC is an abbreviation for 'direct current'.

D -day N‑UNCOUNT You can use D-day to refer to the day that is chosen for the beginning of an important activity. □  D-day for my departure was set for 29th June.

DDT /diː diː tiː / N‑UNCOUNT DDT is a poisonous substance which is used for killing insects.

PREFIX de-

is added to some verbs to make verbs that mean the opposite. For example, if something degenerates , it becomes weaker.

dea|con /diː kən/ (deacons ) N‑COUNT A deacon is a member of the clergy, for example in the Church of England, who is lower in rank than a priest.

de|ac|tiv|ate /diæ kt I ve I t/ (deactivates , deactivating , deactivated ) VERB If someone deactivates an explosive device or an alarm, they make it harmless or impossible to operate. □ [V n] Russia is deactivating some of its deadliest missiles.

dead ◆◆◇ /de d/

1 ADJ A person, animal, or plant that is dead is no longer living. □  Her husband's been dead a year now. □  The group had shot dead another hostage. □  …old newspapers and dead flowers. ● N‑PLURAL The dead are people who are dead. □  The dead included six people attending a religious ceremony.

2 ADJ If you describe a place or a period of time as dead , you do not like it because there is very little activity taking place in it. [DISAPPROVAL ] □  …some dead little town where the liveliest thing is the flies.

3 ADJ Something that is dead is no longer being used or is finished. □  The dead cigarette was still between his fingers.

4 ADJ If you say that an idea, plan, or subject is dead , you mean that people are no longer interested in it or willing to develop it any further. □  It's a dead issue, Baxter.

5 ADJ [usu ADJ n] A dead language is no longer spoken or written as a means of communication, although it may still be studied. □  We used to grumble that we were wasting time learning a dead language.

6 ADJ [usu v-link ADJ ] A telephone or piece of electrical equipment that is dead is no longer functioning, for example because it no longer has any electrical power. □  On another occasion I answered the phone and the line went dead.

7 ADJ In sport, when a ball is dead , it has gone outside the playing area, or a situation has occurred in which the game has to be temporarily stopped, and none of the players can score points or gain an advantage. [JOURNALISM ]

8 ADJ [ADJ n] Dead is used to mean 'complete' or 'absolute', especially before the words 'centre', 'silence', and 'stop'. [EMPHASIS ] □  They hurried about in dead silence, with anxious faces. □  Lila's boat came to a dead stop.

9 ADV Dead means 'precisely' or 'exactly'. [EMPHASIS ] □  Mars was visible, dead in the centre of the telescope. □  Their arrows are dead on target.

10 ADV Dead is sometimes used to mean 'very'. [BRIT , INFORMAL , SPOKEN , EMPHASIS ] □  I am dead against the legalisation of drugs.

11 CONVENTION If you reply ' Over my dead body ' when a plan or action has been suggested, you are emphasizing that you dislike it, and will do everything you can to prevent it. [INFORMAL , EMPHASIS ] □  'Let's invite her to dinner.'—'Over my dead body!'

12 PHRASE If you say that something such as an idea or situation is dead and buried , you are emphasizing that you think that it is completely finished or past, and cannot happen or exist again in the future. [EMPHASIS ] □  I thought the whole business was dead and buried.