sui·cide
ˈsü-ə-ˌsīd 
plural suicides
1
a
: the act or an instance of ending one's own life voluntarily and intentionally
had thoughts of suicide
die by suicide = commit suicide
b
: ruin of one's own interests
political suicide
c
: apoptosis
cell suicide
2
: someone who dies by or attempts suicide
: of or relating to suicide
especially
: being or performing a deliberate act resulting in the voluntary death of the person who does it
a suicide mission
a suicide bomber
suicided; suiciding; suicides
intransitive + transitive
: to die by suicide : to kill (oneself) voluntarily and intentionally
Grieving relatives might be left feeling shamed, isolated or unsupported by strangers or acquaintances who assumed that the loved one had "suicided."—
Rachel E. Gross
Rachel E. GrossStill, [asylum seeker Navaratnam] Kamalthas wondered each day if he made the right choice. … "I think about suiciding myself," Kamalthas said from jail.—The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon)
The Oregonian (Portland, Oregon)
Dictionary Entries Near suicide
Cite this Entry
“Suicide.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/suicide. Accessed 22 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
suicide
1 of 2 noun
sui·cide
ˈsü-ə-ˌsīd
1
: the act or an instance of ending one's own life voluntarily and intentionally
2
: one that carries out or attempts to carry out the act of suicide
suicide
2 of 2 verb
suicided; suiciding; suicides
: to die by suicide
: to put (oneself) to death
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