What does "suicide" mean?
The act of intentionally killing oneself.
Suicide
/ˈs(j)uːɪˌsaɪd/ noun, verb, slang
noun, verb, slang ·Common ·High school level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: The act of intentionally killing oneself.
- Grammar: suicide is listed as noun, verb, slang.
- Nearest alternatives: self-destruction, self-killing, self-slaughter, aborticide.
- Useful contrasts: completed suicide, life, life-preservation.
- Usage evidence: The prominent poet attempted to commit suicide in his study.
How to use "suicide"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "suicide" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "suicide" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "suicide" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "suicide" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
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- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "suicide" is acting as noun, verb, slang in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "self-destruction" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
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Final meaning check
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When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 The act of intentionally killing oneself. uncountable
"As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time, or die by suicide."
- 2 the act of killing yourself wordnet
- 3 A particular instance of a person intentionally killing oneself, or of multiple people doing so. countable
"There had been half a dozen mysterious suicides which had been investigated by Scotland Yard."
- 4 a person who kills themself intentionally wordnet
- 5 A person who has intentionally killed themself. countable
""I remember one suicide," she said to Philip, "who threw himself into the Thames.""
Show 6 more definitions
- 6 An action that could cause the literal or figurative death of a person or organization, although death is not the aim of the action. countable, figuratively, uncountable
"political suicide"
- 7 A beverage combining all available flavors at a soda fountain. US, countable, slang
"You could sit at a corner and order your Suicide, and one of two twin brothers who worked there would hold an old-fashioned soda glass, a heavy tall V-shaped one with a round foot at the bottom, and go down the line with one shot of everything—cherry, lemon, Coke, and chocolate syrups—before adding soda water."
- 8 A diabolo trick where one of the sticks is released and allowed to rotate 360° round the diabolo until it is caught by the hand that released it. countable, uncountable
- 9 A run comprising a series of sprints of increasing lengths, each followed immediately by a return to the start, with no pause between one sprint and the next. countable
"The coach makes us run suicides at the end of each basketball practice."
- 10 A children's game of throwing a ball against a wall and at other players, who are eliminated by being struck. countable, uncountable
- 11 Pertaining to a suicide bombing. attributive, countable, uncountable
"suicide belt"
Verb
- 1 To intentionally kill oneself. intransitive
""Her husband suicided three years ago. Just like a man!""
- 2 To kill (someone) and make their death appear to have been a suicide rather than a homicide (now especially as part of a conspiracy). transitive
"Have bought The Shanghai Chopsticks. Proprietor at first refused to sell, but when I ordered the boiling oil he became more reasonable. Editor reports that circulation is not what it ought to be. […] Will publish proclaimation, "Any person found not in possession of The Shanghai Chopsticks (current number) will be suicided.""
- 3 To self-destruct.
"At the conclusion of each wind, the movement of the driver's control lever back to the neutral position, and consequently the movement of the Ward Leonard controller back to its neutral position, firstly opens the directional contacts which isolate the generator field from the Ward Leonard exciter and, secondly, operates contactors which eliminate the effect of the residual field by suiciding the generator field as outlined above."
Synonyms
All synonymsAntonyms
Example
"The prominent poet attempted to commit suicide in his study."
Common questions
What is a synonym for "suicide"?
Common synonyms include: self-destruction, self-killing, self-slaughter, aborticide, autohomicide, car of jagannath.
How do you use "suicide" in a sentence?
The prominent poet attempted to commit suicide in his study.
How do you pronounce "suicide"?
Pronounced /ˈs(j)uːɪˌsaɪd/.
Etymology
First attested in Thomas Browne's Religio Medici (1643) in noun sense 1, ostensibly from New Latin suīcīdium, from suī (genitive reflexive pronoun) + -cīdium (“act of killing or murder”), but often believed to have originated in English before entering Latin. Displaced native Middle English seolf-cwale from Old English selfcwalu (literally “self-slaughter”), after which suicide may have been modelled, or calqued (compare manuscript). Noun sense 3 is perhaps by analogy with words like homicide, patricide (see -cide), or, although unlikely, from Medieval Latin suīcīda; see the Etymology section at suīcīdium.