bite the dust

The idiom "bite the dust" has origins in literature and is widely used to describe failure or death.

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Definition

B2General

(informal)To fail or come to an end suddenly.

Example

The new startup bit the dust after just six months.

B2General

(informal, euphemistic)To die or be killed.

Example

Many soldiers bit the dust in the fierce battle.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "bite the dust":

bite the big one bite the biscuit kick the bucket bite the bullet go belly-up cash in one's chips lick the dust die on one's arse eat someone's dust die in the ass bite the curb die away beat the dust breathe one's last drop dead die off fall off one's perch give up the ghost come a cropper die on the vine die out die a thousand deaths bite off bomb out bite in go up in smoke bust one's ass do to death get the chop hit the dirt down for the count fall to pieces fall off chew off