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dea th rate (death rates ) N‑COUNT The death rate is the number of people per thousand who die in a particular area during a particular period of time. □  By the turn of the century, Pittsburgh had the highest death rate in the United States.

dea th rat|tle also death-rattle N‑SING If you say that one thing is the death rattle of another, you mean that the first thing is a sign that very soon the second thing will come to an end. [JOURNALISM ] □ [+ of ] His rhetoric sounds like the death rattle of a fading leadership.

death row /de θ roʊ / N‑UNCOUNT [oft on N ] If someone is on death row , they are in the part of a prison which contains the cells for criminals who have been sentenced to death. [AM ] □  He has been on Death Row for 11 years.

dea th sen|tence (death sentences ) N‑COUNT A death sentence is a punishment of death given by a judge to someone who has been found guilty of a serious crime such as murder. □  His original death sentence was commuted to life in prison.

dea th squad (death squads ) N‑COUNT Death squads are groups of people who operate illegally and carry out the killing of people such as their political opponents or criminals.

dea th taxes N‑PLURAL Death taxes were a tax which had to be paid on the money and property of someone who had died. This tax is now called inheritance tax . [AM ]

dea th throes also death-throes

1 N‑PLURAL [usu with poss] The death throes of something are its final stages, just before it fails completely or ends. [LITERARY ]

2 N‑PLURAL [oft in poss N ] If a person or animal is in their death throes , they are dying and making violent, uncontrolled movements, usually because they are suffering great pain.

dea th toll (death tolls ) also death-toll N‑COUNT The death toll of an accident, disaster, or war is the number of people who die in it.

dea th trap (death traps ) also death-trap N‑COUNT If you say that a place or vehicle is a death trap , you mean it is in such bad condition that it might cause someone's death. [INFORMAL ] □  Badly-built kit cars can be death traps.

dea th war|rant (death warrants ) also death-warrant

1 N‑COUNT A death warrant is an official document which orders that someone is to be executed as a punishment for a crime.

2 PHRASE If you say that someone is signing their own death warrant , you mean that they are behaving in a way which will cause their ruin or death. □  By accusing the King of murder, he signed his own death warrant.

dea th wish also death-wish N‑SING A death wish is a conscious or unconscious desire to die or be killed.

deb /de b/ (debs ) N‑COUNT A deb is the same as a debutante .

de|ba|cle /de I bɑː k ^ə l, [AM ] d I b-/ (debacles ) in BRIT, also use débâcle N‑COUNT A debacle is an event or attempt that is a complete failure. □ [+ of ] After the debacle of the war the world was never the same again.

de|bar /d I bɑː ^r , diː -/ (debars , debarring , debarred ) VERB [usu passive] If you are debarred from doing something, you are prevented from doing it by a law or regulation. [FORMAL ] □ [be V -ed + from ] If found guilty, she could be debarred from politics for seven years. [Also be V -ed from -ing]

de|base /d I be I s/ (debases , debasing , debased ) VERB To debase something means to reduce its value or quality. [FORMAL ] □ [V n] Politicians have debased the meaning of the word 'freedom'. ●  de|based ADJ □  …the debased standards of today's media.

de|base|ment /d I be I smənt/ N‑UNCOUNT Debasement is the action of reducing the value or quality of something. [FORMAL ] □ [+ of ] …the debasement of popular culture.