half-dead

IPA/ˌhɑːf ˈded/
IPA/ˌhæf ˈded/

half-dead — adjective

1. extremely tired, especially after doing physical work, exercising, or traveling

1.adjectiveB1
Definition

extremely tired, especially after doing physical work, exercising, or traveling without enough rest — for example, feeling this way after hiking up a mountain all day or after a long flight without sleep.

Example

Antonia was half-dead after the ten-hour flight from Taipei to London.

collocation: half-dead after [activity]

Asher collapsed on the sofa, half-dead from a day of moving furniture.

collocation: half-dead from [cause]

Common collocations
  • half-dead after
  • half-dead from
  • feel half-dead
  • look half-dead
  • be half-dead
Synonyms
  • exhausted

    more neutral register; works in both formal and informal contexts

  • worn out

    informal, similar intensity, but suggests long-term use rather than a single event

  • dead tired

    equally informal, very common in American English

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be half-dead

feel half-dead

look half-dead

Usage Note

Only used predicatively (after 'be', 'feel', or 'look'), never before a noun. You cannot say 'a half-dead worker' in this sense — use 'exhausted' instead.

Common Mistakes

I saw a half-dead man on the street.' (literal reading)
The man on the street looked half-dead.
'half-dead' in this sense is predicative only and informal; for a literal 'nearly dead' meaning use 'dying' or 'barely alive.'

2. completely exhausted or drained of energy to the point where you can barely func

2.adjectiveB2
Definition

completely exhausted or drained of energy to the point where you can barely function — used when the cause is overwhelming, such as severe illness, extreme stress, or relentless overwork.

Example

The flu left Layla half-dead for an entire week.

construction: leave [person] half-dead

After working double shifts, the night-shift nurses were half-dead by Friday morning.

Common collocations
  • half-dead with
  • leave someone half-dead
  • half-dead from
Synonyms
  • completely exhausted

    more formal and descriptive than 'half-dead'

  • drained

    suggests energy has been entirely removed; works in medical and everyday contexts

  • wiped out

    very informal American English; same intensity

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

be half-dead with [cause]

leave someone half-dead

Usage Note

Stronger than sense 1. This sense implies you have reached a limit — you cannot continue. Common with 'with' (half-dead with worry, cold, heat) and 'leave' (the illness left me half-dead).

Common Mistakes

The half-dead patient was rushed to hospital.' (attributive use)
The patient was half-dead from blood loss.
'half-dead' is not used before a noun; use 'barely alive' or 'near death' for the literal meaning.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: adjective/1

All four describe a state of extreme tiredness, but they differ in register and intensity. 'Exhausted' is the most neutral and widely used — appropriate in both casual conversation and formal writing such as a doctor's report. 'Half-dead' and 'dead tired' are distinctly informal and hyperbolic, suggesting the speaker is exaggerating for effect ('I'm half-dead' sounds more vivid than 'I'm exhausted'). 'Worn out' sits between them: it is informal but less dramatic, often implying long-term wear rather than a single draining event. For example, you could say 'The batteries are worn out' but not 'The batteries are half-dead' (in the figurative sense). In a sentence: 'After the exam, I was dead tired' sounds natural among friends, while 'The staff were exhausted by the end of the quarter' fits an email to management.

half-dead ↗exhausted ↗worn outdead tired ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Adverbs

Phrases

  • half-dead on one's feet
  • leave someone half-dead
  • feel half-dead

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

'Half-dead' is a compound of Old English 'healf' (half) and 'dēad' (dead), first recorded in the 13th century with a literal meaning — someone so badly beaten or injured that they appeared more dead than alive. By the 16th century it had developed a figurative sense for extreme exhaustion. The modern informal use for 'very tired' became common in the 19th–20th centuries and is now the dominant meaning in everyday speech.