over my dead body Definition

body
noun bodies

1. The whole physical structure of a person or animal.

Thesaurus: physique, frame, form, shape, build, torso, trunk.
2. The physical structure of a person or animal excluding the head and limbs.
3. A corpse.

Thesaurus: corpse, cadaver, remains, carcass.
4. The main or central part of anything, such as the main part of a vehicle which carries the load or passengers.
5. A person's physical needs and desires as opposed to spiritual concerns.
6. A substantial section or group.

Example: a body of opinion
7. A group of people regarded as a single unit.

Thesaurus: society, group, association, cartel, bloc, confederation, congress.
8. A quantity or mass.

Example: a body of water
Thesaurus: collection, corpus, compilation.
9. A distinct mass or object; a piece of matter.

Example: a heavenly body
Example: a foreign body
10. Applied to wine, music, etc: a full or strong quality or tone; fullness.
11. Thickness; substantial quality.
12. The opacity of a paint or pigment.
13. A legless tight-fitting one-piece garment for women, fastening at the crotch. Also (especially formerly) called bodysuit.
14. colloq
A person.

verb

bodies, bodied, bodying
1. To give it body or form.

Form: body something out (often)

Idiom: keep body and soul together

often facetious
To remain alive, especially not to die of hunger.

Idiom: over my dead body

See under dead.

Idiom: in a body

Said of a number of people: all together; acting all together.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon as bodig.

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dead
adj

1. No longer living.

Thesaurus: deceased, perished, expired, lifeless, late, defunct, cadaverous, no more (slang), mortified; Antonym: alive, animate.
2. Not alive.
3. No longer in existence; extinct.
4. With nothing living or growing in or on it.
5. Not, or no longer, functioning; not connected to a source of power.
6. No longer burning.
7. No longer in use for everyday communication.

Example: a dead language
8. No longer of interest or importance.

Example: a dead issue
9. Having little or no excitement or activity; boring.
10. Without feeling; numb.

Thesaurus: numb, insensible, anesthetized, deadened, unconscious, unresponsive.
11. Very tired or weak

Thesaurus: exhausted, tired, wearied, worn, spent.
12. Complete; absolute.
13. Said of a sound: dull.
14. sport.
Said of a ball: in a position where it cannot be played until brought back into the game.
15. Dead people (see the 4b).

Form: the dead

adverb

1. slang
Absolutely; quite; exactly; very.
Example: dead drunk
Example: dead right

Derivative: deadness
noun

Idiom: dead against something

Completely opposed to it.

Idiom: dead as a dodo (dead as a doornail, dead as a herring, dead as mutton)

Absolutely dead.

Idiom: dead from the neck up

derog, colloq
Very stupid or of little intelligence.

Idiom: dead on

Exact; exactly. See also dead-on.
Example: dead on time

Idiom: dead to something

Incapable of understanding it; not affected by it.

Idiom: dead to the world

colloq
Fast asleep.

Idiom: I etc wouldn't be seen dead doing something

colloq
I etc would never do it.

Idiom: over my dead body

Never.
Thesaurus: never, by no means, not if one can help it.

Idiom: the dead of night

The middle of the night, when it is most intensely dark and still.

Idiom: the dead of winter

The middle of winter, when it is most intensely cold.

Etymology: Anglo-Saxon.