Death is one of life’s certainties, yet we often struggle to talk about it directly. Perhaps that’s why English is rich with idioms and euphemisms that help us discuss this delicate topic with compassion, humor, or reverence. From gentle expressions that comfort the grieving to more colorful phrases that celebrate a life well-lived, these idioms reflect our complex relationship with mortality.

Whether you’re writing a sympathy card, discussing literature, or simply want to understand the many ways we speak about death, this collection of 55 idioms will expand your vocabulary and help you navigate these sensitive conversations with greater ease. Let’s explore the phrases that have helped countless people express the inexpressible.

1. Pass Away

Meaning: A gentle, respectful way to say someone has died, commonly used in formal or sympathetic contexts.

In a Sentence: “Her grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep at age 92.”

Other Ways to Say: Pass on, depart this life, leave us

2. Kick the Bucket

Meaning: An informal, somewhat humorous expression for dying, often used to lighten the mood around a heavy topic.

In a Sentence: “He always joked that when he kicked the bucket, he wanted everyone to throw a party instead of crying.”

Other Ways to Say: Buy the farm, cash in one’s chips, bite the dust

3. Bite the Dust

Meaning: To die or fail, originally from battle imagery but now used more broadly and casually.

In a Sentence: “The old warrior finally bit the dust after years of illness.”

Other Ways to Say: Meet one’s end, kick the bucket, croak

4. Meet One’s Maker

Meaning: To die and face God or divine judgment, reflecting religious beliefs about the afterlife.

In a Sentence: “He lived with integrity, believing he’d meet his Maker with a clear conscience.”

Other Ways to Say: Go to meet one’s Creator, stand before God, face final judgment

5. Give Up the Ghost

Meaning: To die or stop functioning, with “ghost” referring to the spirit leaving the body.

In a Sentence: “After fighting cancer for three years, she finally gave up the ghost surrounded by loved ones.”

Other Ways to Say: Breathe one’s last, expire, yield up the spirit

6. Cross Over

Meaning: To transition from life to death, often implying movement to an afterlife or spiritual realm.

In a Sentence: “Many believe our loved ones are waiting for us when we cross over.”

Other Ways to Say: Pass over, go to the other side, transition

7. Buy the Farm

Meaning: To die, particularly in military slang, possibly from the idea of life insurance paying for a farm.

In a Sentence: “The old pilot told stories about comrades who bought the farm during the war.”

Other Ways to Say: Kick the bucket, meet one’s end, cash in

8. Push Up Daisies

Meaning: To be dead and buried, with the image of flowers growing over a grave.

In a Sentence: “If I keep eating like this, I’ll be pushing up daisies before I’m fifty!”

Other Ways to Say: Be six feet under, be in the ground, be laid to rest

9. Go to a Better Place

Meaning: A comforting expression suggesting death leads to heaven or somewhere peaceful and happy.

In a Sentence: “She’s gone to a better place now, where there’s no more pain.”

Other Ways to Say: Go to heaven, reach paradise, find eternal rest

10. Breathe One’s Last

Meaning: To take a final breath and die, emphasizing the moment of death itself.

In a Sentence: “He breathed his last with his children holding his hands.”

Other Ways to Say: Draw one’s final breath, expire, give up the ghost

11. Shuffle Off This Mortal Coil

Meaning: To die and leave earthly existence behind, from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet.”

In a Sentence: “When I shuffle off this mortal coil, I hope to leave behind more joy than sorrow.”

Other Ways to Say: Depart this life, leave this world, exit the stage

12. Cash In One’s Chips

Meaning: To die, using gambling terminology where cashing in chips means leaving the game.

In a Sentence: “The old gambler finally cashed in his chips after a full life of risks and rewards.”

Other Ways to Say: Call it quits, buy the farm, kick the bucket

13. Go the Way of All Flesh

Meaning: To die as all humans must, acknowledging death’s universality.

In a Sentence: “Even the mightiest kings eventually go the way of all flesh.”

Other Ways to Say: Meet one’s inevitable end, succumb to mortality, join one’s ancestors

14. Return to Dust

Meaning: To die and decompose, often from the biblical phrase “ashes to ashes, dust to dust.”

In a Sentence: “We all return to dust eventually, no matter our accomplishments in life.”

Other Ways to Say: Turn to ashes, become earth, return to the ground

15. Join the Choir Invisible

Meaning: To die and become part of the deceased, sometimes with spiritual or atheistic overtones.

In a Sentence: “When she joins the choir invisible, her music will live on through her students.”

Other Ways to Say: Join the majority, pass into memory, become part of history

16. At Peace

Meaning: Dead and no longer suffering, emphasizing tranquility after death.

In a Sentence: “After months of pain, he’s finally at peace now.”

Other Ways to Say: At rest, in eternal peace, free from suffering

17. Depart This Life

Meaning: A formal way to say someone has died, suggesting departure on a journey.

In a Sentence: “She departed this life having touched countless hearts.”

Other Ways to Say: Leave this world, pass from this life, exit this existence

18. Go to Sleep

Meaning: A gentle euphemism for death, often used with children or about peaceful deaths.

In a Sentence: “Grandpa went to sleep one night and never woke up.”

Other Ways to Say: Eternal sleep, final rest, sleep forever

19. Answer the Final Call

Meaning: To die when destiny or God summons, like answering a phone call or roll call.

In a Sentence: “When he answered the final call, he left behind a legacy of kindness.”

Other Ways to Say: Heed the final summons, respond to destiny, accept the call home

20. Slip Away

Meaning: To die quietly and peacefully, often gradually, like slipping out of a room unnoticed.

In a Sentence: “She slipped away in the early morning hours with her family by her side.”

Other Ways to Say: Fade away, drift away, pass quietly

21. Take One’s Last Bow

Meaning: To die, using theatrical imagery of a performer’s final curtain call.

In a Sentence: “The legendary actor took his last bow after a career spanning six decades.”

Other Ways to Say: Exit the stage, make one’s final exit, close the curtain

22. Go West

Meaning: An old-fashioned expression for dying, possibly from the setting sun or westward expansion.

In a Sentence: “Many pioneers went west in more ways than one during the Gold Rush.”

Other Ways to Say: Head into the sunset, go to one’s reward, depart

23. Turn Up One’s Toes

Meaning: To die, referencing the position of feet when lying dead.

In a Sentence: “He’d always said he’d keep working until he turned up his toes.”

Other Ways to Say: Kick the bucket, buy the farm, croak

24. Pop Off

Meaning: An informal, sometimes irreverent way to say someone died suddenly.

In a Sentence: “His uncle just popped off one day while gardening—no warning at all.”

Other Ways to Say: Drop dead, keel over, check out

25. Check Out

Meaning: To die, using the metaphor of checking out of a hotel—leaving for good.

In a Sentence: “When I check out of this world, I want to leave owing nothing to anyone.”

Other Ways to Say: Sign off, log off, exit

26. Go Home

Meaning: To die and return to heaven or a spiritual home, suggesting death as a homecoming.

In a Sentence: “After years of suffering, she finally went home to be with the Lord.”

Other Ways to Say: Go to one’s eternal home, return home, reach the promised land

27. Enter Eternal Rest

Meaning: To die and achieve peace in the afterlife, emphasizing rest after life’s labors.

In a Sentence: “He entered eternal rest after a lifetime of service to others.”

Other Ways to Say: Find eternal peace, achieve final rest, rest in peace

28. Croak

Meaning: A blunt, informal slang term for dying, sometimes used humorously.

In a Sentence: “If I croak before you do, make sure my garden gets watered.”

Other Ways to Say: Kick the bucket, bite the dust, drop dead

29. Expire

Meaning: To die, literally meaning to breathe out for the last time, often used clinically.

In a Sentence: “The patient expired at 3:47 AM despite all efforts to revive him.”

Other Ways to Say: Breathe one’s last, pass away, cease to be

30. Meet One’s End

Meaning: To die, emphasizing death as a final destination or conclusion.

In a Sentence: “The villain met his end in the story’s climactic battle scene.”

Other Ways to Say: Come to one’s end, reach one’s conclusion, meet one’s fate

31. Go to Glory

Meaning: To die and go to heaven, with religious connotations of achieving heavenly glory.

In a Sentence: “The congregation believed their pastor had gone to glory after his peaceful death.”

Other Ways to Say: Go to heaven, reach glory, ascend to paradise

32. Be Gathered to One’s Fathers

Meaning: To die and join deceased ancestors, an ancient biblical expression.

In a Sentence: “He was gathered to his fathers after living to see four generations.”

Other Ways to Say: Join one’s ancestors, reunite with forebears, return to family

33. Draw One’s Final Breath

Meaning: To die at the exact moment of death, focusing on the last inhalation or exhalation.

In a Sentence: “She drew her final breath while listening to her favorite symphony.”

Other Ways to Say: Breathe one’s last, take a final breath, expire

34. Succumb

Meaning: To die after fighting illness or injury, implying yielding to a stronger force.

In a Sentence: “He finally succumbed to his injuries after weeks in intensive care.”

Other Ways to Say: Yield to death, surrender to illness, give in

35. Drop Dead

Meaning: To die suddenly and unexpectedly, often from a heart attack or stroke.

In a Sentence: “He was perfectly healthy one moment, then just dropped dead at his desk.”

Other Ways to Say: Keel over, fall down dead, die suddenly

36. Perish

Meaning: To die, often violently or in tragic circumstances.

In a Sentence: “Hundreds perished in the natural disaster despite rescue efforts.”

Other Ways to Say: Die tragically, meet a tragic end, lose one’s life

37. Go to One’s Reward

Meaning: To die and receive heavenly or karmic reward for earthly deeds.

In a Sentence: “After a lifetime of charity work, she went to her reward knowing she’d made a difference.”

Other Ways to Say: Receive one’s crown, get one’s due, go to heaven

38. Lay Down One’s Life

Meaning: To die, especially sacrificially for others or a cause.

In a Sentence: “Many soldiers laid down their lives defending their country.”

Other Ways to Say: Sacrifice oneself, give one’s life, die for a cause

39. Go Belly Up

Meaning: To die or fail completely, originally referring to dead fish floating upside down.

In a Sentence: “The old fish finally went belly up after swimming in that tank for ten years.”

Other Ways to Say: Kick the bucket, bite the dust, croak

40. Join the Ancestors

Meaning: To die and reunite with deceased family members in the afterlife.

In a Sentence: “She spoke of joining the ancestors as if greeting old friends at a reunion.”

Other Ways to Say: Be gathered to one’s people, rejoin one’s forebears, return to family

41. Take the Long Sleep

Meaning: To die, with sleep as a permanent metaphor rather than temporary rest.

In a Sentence: “After his exhausting battle with disease, he finally took the long sleep.”

Other Ways to Say: Eternal rest, final sleep, sleep forever

42. Hand in One’s Dinner Pail

Meaning: To die, originally working-class slang from factory workers returning their lunch pails.

In a Sentence: “The old laborer handed in his dinner pail after forty years at the mill.”

Other Ways to Say: Call it quits, retire permanently, finish one’s shift

43. Go to Davy Jones’s Locker

Meaning: To die at sea or drown, from nautical folklore about the ocean’s bottom.

In a Sentence: “Many sailors went to Davy Jones’s locker during that terrible storm.”

Other Ways to Say: Sleep with the fishes, go down with the ship, drown

44. Be No More

Meaning: To cease existing, to die and no longer be present in the world.

In a Sentence: “The ancient civilization that once thrived here is no more.”

Other Ways to Say: Cease to exist, be gone, exist no longer

45. Fall Asleep

Meaning: To die peacefully, often used in religious contexts implying awakening in the afterlife.

In a Sentence: “The faithful believe they will fall asleep in death and awaken in paradise.”

Other Ways to Say: Go to sleep, rest in death, close one’s eyes

46. Shuffle Off

Meaning: To die and leave earthly life, suggesting a quiet, unhurried departure.

In a Sentence: “When it’s my time to shuffle off, I hope I’ve said everything that needs saying.”

Other Ways to Say: Slip away, depart, move on

47. Go to the Great Beyond

Meaning: To die and enter whatever lies after death, acknowledging the unknown.

In a Sentence: “She faced going to the great beyond with curiosity rather than fear.”

Other Ways to Say: Cross over, enter the unknown, go beyond

48. Come to One’s End

Meaning: To reach the conclusion of life, emphasizing life as a journey or story.

In a Sentence: “The tyrant finally came to his end after years of ruling through fear.”

Other Ways to Say: Meet one’s end, reach one’s conclusion, finish one’s course

49. Pass into the Next World

Meaning: To die and transition to an afterlife or spiritual dimension.

In a Sentence: “Many cultures celebrate when loved ones pass into the next world.”

Other Ways to Say: Cross over, enter the afterlife, transition

50. Cease to Be

Meaning: To stop existing, to die in a philosophical or existential sense.

In a Sentence: “When we cease to be, our influence on others continues.”

Other Ways to Say: Be no more, stop existing, end one’s existence

51. Go Down

Meaning: To die, often suddenly or in combat, like a ship going down.

In a Sentence: “The fighter went down swinging, never giving up until the end.”

Other Ways to Say: Fall, be taken down, meet one’s end

52. Make One’s Exit

Meaning: To die, using theatrical language of leaving the stage.

In a Sentence: “He made his exit with dignity, just as he’d lived his entire life.”

Other Ways to Say: Take one’s leave, depart, exit the stage

53. Relinquish Life

Meaning: To let go of life, to die while releasing one’s hold on earthly existence.

In a Sentence: “After saying goodbye to everyone, she peacefully relinquished life.”

Other Ways to Say: Release life, let go, surrender to death

54. Join the Majority

Meaning: To die and join the greater number of humans who have ever lived and died.

In a Sentence: “Eventually we all join the majority—it’s the one club with universal membership.”

Other Ways to Say: Join the ancestors, become part of history, enter the majority

55. Go Gently into That Good Night

Meaning: To die peacefully without struggle, a reversal of Dylan Thomas’s famous poem urging resistance.

In a Sentence: “Unlike the poet’s plea, she chose to go gently into that good night.”

Other Ways to Say: Die peacefully, accept death calmly, pass quietly

Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Death Idioms

Question 1: Which idiom comes from Shakespeare’s “Hamlet”?

A) Kick the bucket
B) Shuffle off this mortal coil
C) Buy the farm
D) Push up daisies

Answer: B) Shuffle off this mortal coil

Question 2: What does “push up daisies” literally refer to?

A) Planting flowers
B) Being dead and buried with flowers growing over the grave
C) Gardening as a hobby
D) Spring cleaning

Answer: B) Being dead and buried with flowers growing over the grave

Question 3: Which idiom originates from military slang and possibly relates to life insurance?

A) Go to sleep
B) Meet one’s maker
C) Buy the farm
D) Cross over

Answer: C) Buy the farm

Question 4: “Go to Davy Jones’s Locker” specifically refers to dying in what manner?

A) In battle
B) At sea or by drowning
C) In one’s sleep
D) From old age

Answer: B) At sea or by drowning

Question 5: Which idiom uses gambling terminology?

A) Cash in one’s chips
B) Turn up one’s toes
C) Pop off
D) Go belly up

Answer: A) Cash in one’s chips

Question 6: What does “give up the ghost” refer to?

A) Abandoning a haunted house
B) The spirit leaving the body at death
C) Stopping believing in spirits
D) Quitting a difficult task

Answer: B) The spirit leaving the body at death

Question 7: Which idiom is derived from the biblical phrase “ashes to ashes, dust to dust”?

A) Return to dust
B) Go to glory
C) Meet one’s maker
D) Be gathered to one’s fathers

Answer: A) Return to dust

Question 8: “Take one’s last bow” uses imagery from which profession?

A) Military
B) Medicine
C) Theater
D) Sports

Answer: C) Theater

Question 9: Which expression is described as blunt, informal slang sometimes used humorously?

A) Pass away
B) Croak
C) Depart this life
D) Enter eternal rest

Answer: B) Croak

Question 10: What does “at peace” emphasize about death?

A) The suddenness of dying
B) Tranquility and freedom from suffering
C) Religious beliefs
D) The burial process

Answer: B) Tranquility and freedom from suffering

Question 11: Which idiom originally referred to dead fish floating upside down?

A) Go belly up
B) Bite the dust
C) Drop dead
D) Go down

Answer: A) Go belly up

Question 12: “Hand in one’s dinner pail” originated from which group of workers?

A) Farmers
B) Sailors
C) Factory workers
D) Office workers

Answer: C) Factory workers

Question 13: Which idiom is commonly used in formal or sympathetic contexts?

A) Kick the bucket
B) Pass away
C) Pop off
D) Croak

Answer: B) Pass away

Question 14: What does “meet one’s maker” specifically refer to?

A) Meeting an artist
B) Dying and facing God or divine judgment
C) Meeting one’s parents
D) Completing a project

Answer: B) Dying and facing God or divine judgment

Question 15: Which idiom comes from battle imagery?

A) Bite the dust
B) Check out
C) Slip away
D) Fall asleep

Answer: A) Bite the dust

Question 16: “Join the choir invisible” can have what type of overtones?

A) Only religious
B) Only musical
C) Spiritual or atheistic
D) Only military

Answer: C) Spiritual or atheistic

Question 17: Which idiom emphasizes death as a homecoming?

A) Go home
B) Make one’s exit
C) Turn up one’s toes
D) Pop off

Answer: A) Go home

Question 18: What does “expire” literally mean?

A) To run out of time
B) To breathe out for the last time
C) To become outdated
D) To leave quickly

Answer: B) To breathe out for the last time

Question 19: Which idiom acknowledges death’s universality for all humans?

A) Drop dead
B) Go west
C) Go the way of all flesh
D) Check out

Answer: C) Go the way of all flesh

Question 20: “Lay down one’s life” especially refers to what type of death?

A) Accidental death
B) Death from old age
C) Sacrificial death for others or a cause
D) Death by illness

Answer: C) Sacrificial death for others or a cause

Question 21: Which idiom is often used when discussing children or peaceful deaths?

A) Kick the bucket
B) Go to sleep
C) Buy the farm
D) Cash in one’s chips

Answer: B) Go to sleep

Question 22: What does “succumb” imply about death?

A) Dying suddenly
B) Yielding to illness or injury after fighting
C) Dying peacefully
D) Dying heroically

Answer: B) Yielding to illness or injury after fighting

Question 23: Which idiom suggests movement to an afterlife or spiritual realm?

A) Drop dead
B) Cross over
C) Pop off
D) Turn up one’s toes

Answer: B) Cross over

Question 24: “Be gathered to one’s fathers” is described as what type of expression?

A) Modern slang
B) Medical terminology
C) Ancient biblical expression
D) Military jargon

Answer: C) Ancient biblical expression

Question 25: Which idiom reverses Dylan Thomas’s famous poem about resisting death?

A) Go gently into that good night
B) Shuffle off this mortal coil
C) Rage against the dying light
D) Enter eternal rest

Answer: A) Go gently into that good night

These 55 idioms remind us that while death is universal, the ways we speak about it are wonderfully varied. Whether we choose gentle euphemisms or more direct expressions, these phrases help us navigate difficult conversations, honor those we’ve lost, and acknowledge our shared mortality with grace, humor, and humanity.