to death

The phrase 'to death' is an idiom used to express extreme degrees of an action or state, sometimes literally, but often hyperbolically.

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🇬🇧 UK Voice:

Definition

B2General

(literal)Until the point of dying or causing death.

Example

The prisoner was sentenced to death.
They fought to death for their freedom.

B2Informal

(hyperbolic)To an extreme or excessive degree.

Example

I'm tired to death of hearing that song.
She laughed to death at the joke.

B2Work or Effort

(informal)With a lot of effort and for as long as possible.

Example

They worked him to death in that job.
She studied to death for the exam.

Similar

Terms that have similar or relatively close meanings to "to death":

to the death do to death fight to the death to hell die a thousand deaths within an inch of one's life sudden death matter of life and death to the full death throe in extremis sickness unto death for life autem mort die laughing death sentence die in a fire